Chicago beaches open Friday

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Beach season in Chicago officially starts Friday - just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Many people may wait for warmer weather to spend some time on the sand. But those planning to head to the beach this weekend should keep a few things in mind.

Swimming is allowed at North Avenue Beach when lifeguards are on duty, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

This year, lifeguards have the ability to access and update a website that predicts bacteria levels in real time. They can see a display of swim restrictions based on poor weather, rough surf, or low water quality. This means lifeguards can get swimmers off the beach sooner if they need to.

"The test results are coming out faster than ever with this predictive modeling analysis, so people are getting real-time information and it's safe for them to come out to the beach and go swimming," said Mike Kelly, Chicago Park District superintendent.

Veterinarians encourage dog owners to keep their pets away from the beach because of concerns about dog flu. It can easily spread at places where dogs are in close contact, like dog daycare and dog parks.

Dog owner Jim Young vaccinated his dogs Mike and Marley before hitting the beach. So on Friday, all he was thinking about was sand and sun.

"It's fantastic, it's fantastic. We love living within walking distance of the beach and find it just fantastic," he said.

"The park district does such a good job every morning of cleaning the beach, you almost feel like you're not in an urban area, you're on vacation for an hour," said Jeff Peters, a Chicago resident.

Beach season runs through Sept. 7.