ASBURY PARK, New Jersey (WABC) — The kickoff to the Memorial Day weekend is here, but with rain in the forecast, Friday may be the only chance for people to enjoy the beach.

One popular destination for the holiday weekend is the Jersey Shore, but in Asbury Park on Friday, the temperature hovered around 60 degrees, with 15 to 25 mph winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s really cold out here. The wind. The wind is insane,” said North Plainfield resident Briana Louise.

The conditions at the beach weren’t quite living up to Louise’s expectations.

“We’re here to celebrate Sarah’s birthday,” Louise said. “We came to see the sunrise, and this is not. It’s not giving, beach summer.”

The group of college students should be lying out on the sand and in the sun on their blankets, not using them to keep warm.

“We brought these to sit on the sand. Relax, chill. But it’s not happening,” Louise said.

The turnout is a far cry from the pre-summer heat spike earlier this week, when the beach was packed. Now, the beach is empty, and the boardwalk is peppered with people all bundled up.

“It did say cloudy, so we weren’t expecting the sunrise to be nice, but it also said 60, so we thought it was just going to be calm, but it’s very windy and very cold,” said one beachgoer.

Unfortunately, the classic Jersey Shore vibe is not happening this weekend.

“I left Florida for the Jersey Shore, and I was really expecting the full experience. You know, the beach, the vibes,” said Soraya Perez, a tourist from Florida. “And it’s not giving that, but hopefully at least one of these days while I’m here, we can really like tap into.”

In Coney Island, the boardwalk was packed on Friday night. The rides were roaring, and it was cold for the ocean, but not bad for a sandy walk on the beach. The shops, restaurants, and bars were lively too.

Memorial Day is a vital kick-off weekend for businesses. Matthew Sarrel of Ruby’s Bar and Grill says they have a 13-week window to make money, so when you lose weekends and holidays because of the weather, it definitely matters.

“It hurts you. There’s no question about it. When you’re a small business, you know every day matters. Not having great weather, especially on a holiday weekend, hurts you. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You do what you can, you hope for the best, you know you can’t control the weather,” Sarrel said.

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