The high surf that pounded area beaches this week has taken a toll on the towns shore.

At high tide, around noon on Thursday, only a narrow ribbon of sand was visible at the popular Clarke Avenue public beach.

At nearby Midtown Beach, the rock groins were exposed and the lifeguard tower had been moved behind the sea wall. The beach remained open, with hazard flags flying, but few visitors were challenging the choppy surf.

The worst conditions occurred on Tuesday, when the waves reached 8-10 feet tall while sweeping over the offshore reef at Midtown. The surf at high tide blanketed the beach and splashed over the access ramp, lifeguard Craig Pollock said. Lifeguards closed the beach to swimmers on Tuesday, but reopened it Wednesday.

The beach got hit hard, he said.

At Phipps Ocean Park public beach, where the longshore rock works as a barrier against further erosion, sand actually accumulated onto rock that had been exposed.

The erosion was evident in other areas as well. Weve lost some volume, elevation and width, Coastal Coordinator Rob Weber said.

The National Weather Service attributed it to high surf caused by a low-pressure system whipping up the Atlantic waters off the East Coast.

In the next few days, sand that was scooped off the beach may begin to make its way back, he said.

Well have to see what kind of natural recovery we have, to see how much we were affected, Weber said.

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Beaches take a beating in high surf