Hurricane Frances may be headed to Florida, but its strong winds have churned up surf in New York area, weather forecasters said Saturday.

A rough surf advisory is in place through Monday and there will be swimming restrictions in place this holiday weekend, they said.

The high tidal surges and rip tides make it even more important to swim only when a life guard is on duty. Swimmers at beaches in the New York area were told Saturday not to go too far into the water.

In some places, the swells were about four feet high. The only people out in the deeper water were the surfers taking advantage of the high waves.

Hurricane Frances send millions scrambling for shelter for the second time in three weeks in Florida, as the storm was poised to roar ashore Sunday. It slowed down some and dipped a little in power after trampling the Bahamas with 140-mph winds Friday, toppling trees and tearing roofs of buildings.

A record 2.5 million people were ordered to leave coastal areas as forecasters warned that this storm could make last month's deadly Hurricane Charley look like child's play.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2004)