SOUTH FLORIDA – The first outer bands from Hurricane Matthew have begun to impact South Florida.
Local 10 News reporter Liane Morejon was reporting from Pelican Harbor Marina in North Bay Village as sheets of rain began to fall on her.
"You can just tell this is no ordinary thunderstorm. This isn't just a single day in the rainy season," Morejon said. "This is the approach of Hurricane Matthew."
A few miles north in Hollywood, Local 10 News reporter Michael Seiden noticed a father and son playing on the beach, sometimes going into the Atlantic Ocean, despite Gov. Rick Scott's message to stay out of the water.
Local 10 News reporter Derek Shore was in Fort Lauderdale, where the beach was closed. One man who was vacationing on the beach with his wife arrived Thursday morning. He said they decided to brave the storm and come to South Florida anyway.
"It was already booked from January," he said.
They arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport about an hour before it closed. They're planning to wait out the storm at their hotel before moving on to Key West.
According to Florida Power & Light, half of its 4.8 million total customers are without power, including more than 7,000 customers in Miami-Dade County, nearly 2,000 customers in Broward County and more than 3,000 customers in Palm Beach County.
An FPL spokeswoman said more than 14,000 workers have been deployed in Broward County to restore power. She said they will begin work as soon as it is safe to do so.
To report a power outage, call 800-4-OUTAGE.