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Revelers Making The Best Out of Rainy Memorial Day Weekend

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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) -- A lonely coastal freighter rocked just off Miami Beach, as subtropical storm Alberto chugged into the Gulf of Mexico hundreds of miles southwest of the usually sunny vacation and entertainment center.

The storm's outer bands impacted Miami-Dade County mid-morning. Ocean Drive was wind and rain-swept as the annual Memorial Day Weekend got underway.

The world famous stretch of Art Deco hotels welcomes funseekers for Urban Beach Weekend and the hardcore partygoers were not deterred though crowd numbers were down.

Miami Beach Police had made more than 50 arrests by mid-afternoon Saturday. Miami Beach Police are out in full force and are operating a high-tech scanner to read license plates. That operation necessitated funneling beach-bound traffic into one lane, which made driving across the causeway a hassle. It took some drivers more than an hour to get onto the barrier island. Beach officials say the license plate reader helps deter people who are up to no good from coming to Miami Beach, especially if they have outstanding warrants.

An event honoring veterans was held and the highly promoted Air and Sea Show did get some planes into the air. Not deterred by the weather is Ravin Kraft, the well-known jogger who has made his daily 8-mile beach run for the last 43 years. "This is nothing," says Kraft, "I have run in hurricanes."

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