FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Weather conditions around South Florida have deteriorated Saturday as Hurricane Irma approaches the state.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of South Florida. It includes the coastal and inland portions of Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
The flood watch, in effect through Monday evening, means there is a potential for flooding because of the expected rainfall.
Concrete barricades kept most drivers from reaching Dania Beach's shore, where lifeguard stands were parked on asphalt and churning waves reached past the first piling of Dania Beach Pier.
Broward County sheriff's deputies huddled in a closed cafe, stationed to encourage visitors to leave the evacuation zone. "Get outta here!" one shouted as a car slowly passed by.
At the docks, music and beer were plentiful aboard the Last Meridian, the boat where Greg Heath, 51, lives. He said he will remain with the boat during the storm.
Heath paid $50 for a blue tarp to cover the boat, and bought a life vest for Bentley, his silk terrier. He said deputies got his and his boat-living neighbors' names and numbers in case anything happens.
"We're gonna ride the storm out and make sure the boats are OK," he said, a beer in his hand at 10:30 a.m. EST. "We're on top of it."
Offshore, two parasailers were the lone beachgoers, taking advantage of the unusually windy conditions.
Despite the slight westward shift of the storm's expected forecast track, Irma is such a huge system that it will bring strong winds and potentially a lot of rain to the region.
Because of storm preparations and evacuation orders, most of the popular downtown and beachside bars and nightspots were virtually empty Friday night and early Saturday.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Timothy Heiser said this weekend was not good for swimming.
"I insist that people stay out of the water," Heiser said. "Surfers, swimmers, people who want to get their feet wet. Going in the water right now is nothing short of stupid. You're taking your life in your hands and endangering others."
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(Linda Trischitta contributed to this report._
