GALVESTON, Texas — Galveston Island is preparing for large crowds this Fourth of July weekend despite some rainy weather.
"Was coming anyway, so it's fine," said beachgoer Aisha Atkins of Longview. "Going to keep all our plans the same, like waiting for the fireworks."
Aisha, along with the others on the beach, is just going with the flow.
Aspen Myers is visiting the island for the weekend with her cousins from Michigan, who have never been to the beach.
"It'd be better if it wasn't raining, but we still enjoy it with the rain," Aspen said.
As visitors flock to the island, red flags have been flying because of the wind and rough surf.
"Adults who are good swimmers, waist-deep. Everybody else, out of the water," said Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis. "I think we're gonna see that those conditions kind of go into the weekend, although it's supposed to get calmer as we get through it."
But Davis said even if the weather calms down, the rip currents will still be strong this weekend. So, if you're in the water, stay far away from structures like piers and jetties.
Despite staffing challenges all around the country, Davis said all 32 lifeguard towers in Galveston will be staffed this weekend.
"We've been able to rely on our J-1 visa hires, which are foreign hires. So, we have a ton of lifeguards that come from Colombia every year and some other countries, too, but mostly Colombia," Davis said. "We've got some that have come back year after year after year, and so we've got some that are senior lifeguards. They're four and five years here."
Even with the holiday weekend weather now in the hands of Mother Nature...
"There's plenty of things to do, so just enjoy it," said Aisha.
Galveston visitors say you can still make it a memorable weekend either way.