BREVARD COUNTY, Florida — All eyes are on Hurricane Michael and its effect on Florida's Panhandle, but another storm is churning up the surf on our East Coast.
- Leslie sending mounds of seaweed onto beaches
- Red flags being flown to warn beachgoers of rough conditions
- Officials say Leslie, Michael could help dissipate red tide trying to creep up
On the coast, there are waves of four to six feet, and the rip currents are out there. All of this coming from Tropical Storm Leslie far out in the Atlantic. But the storm is still impacting the Brevard coastline.
The now tropical storm has meandered in the mid-Atlantic since late September, and despite its distance from land, is sending mounds of seaweed onto Space Coast beaches.
"In a way, it's interesting to see all the seaweed," said J.P. Golinvaux, who along with wife Cheryl are visiting from Iowa.
They are also seeing all the ocean trash washed up by the rough surf.
"People have been picking up a lot of it," he told Spectrum News.
Lifeguards are flying the red flag to warn patrons of the rough conditions. Beach erosion is also being monitored, and there are already signs of sand being sliced away from the beach.
Officials are also seeing the benefits of both Leslie and Michael in that the churned up ocean is likely to dissipate any red tide that might be trying to creep around the tip of the state and head up into the Gulf Stream and the east coast.