00:00Aggie Weathers' Leslie Hudson is live from Cocoa Beach with what you need to know before hitting the coast this weekend. Leslie?
00:08Hey, good morning to you guys. Yeah, we took about an eight-mile trip south of where we were.
00:12We were at the Cocoa Beach Pier last hour.
00:15This area here in Cocoa Beach is just adjacent to the Patrick Air Force Base, if you're familiar with this area.
00:20But as we pan offshore over here to the Atlantic, you'll notice it is a very beautiful start to this Friday.
00:27Quite a different contrast from what it was just a week or so ago when we were dealing with air in several hundred miles off the shores here in central Florida.
00:35But there is still a rip current risk today.
00:38Lifeguards are saying there is a moderate risk, and that's probably going to increase, especially as we watch what the weather pattern is doing.
00:45Of course, you all have been talking about this area of low pressure in the Gulf.
00:49AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring that area.
00:52Of course, the Gulf is on the west side.
00:55I am on the east side of the state.
00:56However, that low is expected to pump in a lot of moisture across the state of Florida over the Labor Day weekend.
01:04So forecasters with AccuWeather expect an unusually strong dip in the jet stream to push into the southeastern states over the holiday weekend.
01:11And that's expected to increase those rain chances as we head into these next several days, forcing lots of visitors here.
01:19About 900,000, by the way, visitors are expected to go through the Orlando Airport just this weekend.
01:25The Orlando area, just one hour to my west, so it's a very popular destination to fly into and head over here to the beaches.
01:33Much of Florida could see some strong storms affecting those outdoor plans over the holiday weekend.
01:38But we will get a slight payoff.
01:40We are expecting some slightly cooler temperatures, which we will take.
01:43It is so super hot here still in Florida as we round out this month of August.
01:47The AccuWeather meteorologists say don't expect those temperatures to drop too much, of course.
01:51It will be limited mainly to north Florida.
01:54The primary storm concerns will be lightning, gusty winds, and heavy downpours.
01:57And by the way, you know, the signature with our storms lately, it was still storming at 3 o'clock this morning in the Orlando area where I live.
02:04So they have been starting very late in the afternoon and evening and lasting well into the night.
02:10For beachgoers, the best window for sun and sand is those morning hours.
02:14Rain chances will rise throughout the afternoon, but storms will hit or miss, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
02:20Now, Cocoa Beach is not only an hour east of here, like I mentioned.
02:23It's close to the theme parks.
02:25According to AAA, Central Florida area is one of the top travel destinations over the next three days.
02:30Here in Cocoa Beach, they have the world's largest surf shop.
02:33If you didn't know that, you can check that out.
02:36And we talked to the Chamber of Commerce in southeastern Volusia County, which just to the north of me.
02:41And here's what she had to say.
02:42If the weather does not give you sunny skies, there's a lot to do.
02:50There's just lots of great things to enjoy, even when the weather's not beach, you know, beach going.
02:56People like to come and see the dolphins and the manatee.
02:59So we frequently get asked, where can I go see those?
03:03And if you spend any time in the river, you certainly will see both of those.
03:09And it never gets old.
03:10It's like, ah, there's a manatee.
03:12It's great.
03:15And I can concur with her.
03:17I've lived here my entire life.
03:19And when you see a manatee or a dolphin, it is such a thrill.
03:22And you do see them in the river here, the Banana River or the Indian River, all the time.
03:28So if you're wanting to see those, check that out if you're headed into central Florida.
03:32By the way, those that are traveling here, there is some good news.
03:35AAA says it's going to be a little cheaper to travel this weekend.
03:38Hotels, airfare, and even car rentals are all down.
03:42So you can get out and about a little cheaper.
03:45Besides that, we all know that it is football season.
03:48And big games are kicking off this weekend, including UF, where I'm from, FSU, and University of Miami.
03:53Reporting live from Cocoa Beach, Florida.
03:55And I'm back to you.
03:56That's why now I figure out why Leslie likes wearing the orange.
04:01We thought because she was an AccuWeather correspondence, but it's the gator orange, right?
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