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'Frankenstorm' Sandy slips by South Florida

Delray Beach resident Kyle Duker was among the few to brave the waves churned up by Hurricane Sandy Friday afternoon. He called the experience "intense."

By Palm Beach Business.com

DELRAY BEACH — "Frankenstorm" Sandy sped by Friday and Saturday leaving South Florida pretty much unscathed except for some beach erosion, precautionary school closings and event cancellations.

By Saturday, the hurricane had moved up the coast, but continued to make its presence felt with sustained winds between 20 and 30 mph and gusts as high as 40 mph. A wind advisory was in effect for the region until 8 p.m. Saturday, and a high surf advisory, meaning waves between 8 to 10 feet, until 8 p.m. Sunday.

Localized flooding remains possible in coastal areas, and some beach erosion can be expected.

Meanwhile as of 2 p.m. Saturday, Sandy remained a category I hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph, with tropical storm-force winds stretching from the nothern Bahamas to North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The forecast path puts the storm off the coast of Virginia by Monday morning and into central Pennsylvania by Wednesday morning.

According to forecasting service Accuweather, coastal flooding could range from North Carolina to as far north as Maine, with New Jersey and New York (Long Island) possibly bearing the brunt of the storm.

Sandy potentiall could affect 60 million people and cause billions in property damage. It could even have an impact on the Nov. 6 election.

For South Florida, the forecast is for sunny weather with highs in the low 80s over the weekend and dropping into the 70s next week.

Delray's munipal beach was pretty much deserted Friday with the exception of a few site seers. A flag advising swimers to stay out of the water flew at the lifeguard station.