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Red flags come down at Va. Beach on Independence Day after weekend of rough surf

Posted at 9:12 PM, Jul 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-04 16:33:45-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - After a very windy weekend, the red flags at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront came down on Monday.

Seventeen rescues with at least 34 people pulled from the water Sunday. Gill, Chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service, said it is common to see a day like this when the surf is so rough.

On one of the busiest weekends of the year for the Oceanfront, lifeguards warned swimmers to be extra cautious of conditions. Sunday's beach weather was not as inviting as Saturday's but hundreds of people could still be seen on the sand and in the water.

Tom Gill, Chief of the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service anticipated that the red flags would fly again on the 4th, but officials took the flags down after a change in the wind pattern overnight.  The rain tapered off around noon and conditions became humid, but not as windy.

Gill said there had been no rescues yet as of 12 p.m.

Despite the change in conditions, some Fourth of July events have been canceled. Fireworks and evening activities in Yorktown have been canceled due to saturated conditions on the Yorktown Battlefield, which is used for parking on July 4. The National Park Service is prohibiting parking because the vehicles could damage the grounds of the battlefield.

As tourists look forward to the fireworks that are still on for the evening, they try to pass the time playing in the sand, walking the boardwalk or shopping along Atlantic Avenue.

Complete coverage: Independence Day 2016

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