Rain, gusty winds bring weekend washout to Florida before system heads up East Coast

By FREIDA FRISARO and MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s beginning to look at lot like … hurricane season. At least that’s the case across much of South Florida, where it’s been windy and rainy for two days and the forecast predicts more of the same this busy holiday season weekend. A meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Miami says Saturday is expected to be a “washout” over most of the state. Outdoor holiday parties have been canceled and outside decorations that aren’t battened down might just blow away. And that’s not all. The mass of wind and rain is expected to head up the East Coast of the United States just in time for the start of the holiday travel season.