VERO BEACH — As a high surf advisory issued over the weekend expires, a red flag warning still remains in effect, weather meteorologists said.

The high surf advisory, issued over the weekend for parts of the Treasure Coast, including Vero Beach, expired at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The advisories are issued when beaches have large breaking waves that are about five to eight feet, said meteorologist Tim Sedlock.

“It’s definitely dangerous to beach-goers and can knock a surfer or anyone further out into deeper water. It can cause erosion and coastal flooding,” Sedlock said. “We’ll see a higher threat for rip currents during surf advisories.”

The National Weather Service in Melbourne issued a red flag warning about 10:41 a.m. Wednesday for the area because of elevated winds and dry conditions, which could easily spark an uncontrollable wildfire.

“If a wildfire were to start, it would be hard to contain,” Sedlock said. “We haven’t seen much rainfall in quite a while.”

Sustained winds will be around 15 mph with gusts above 20 to 25 mph, according to weather experts. The red flag warning expires at 7 p.m. later today, according to weather forecasters.

Photos by Denise Ritchie