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Tropical Storm Nicole is drenching the Bahamas with dangerous storm surge early Wednesday before it slams into Florida’s east coast late in the day as a possible Category 1 hurricane, prompting evacuations in areas still recovering from Hurricane Ian.
Nearly 4 million people along Florida’s east coast are under hurricane warnings as Nicole is poised to make landfall late Wednesday north of West Palm Beach, Florida, blasting the region with torrential rain and damaging winds.
It would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in November in nearly 40 years.
“Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday through Friday,” the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning.
By 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, parts of Florida’s east coast already were experiencing tropical storm conditions. Up to 8 inches of rain, storm surge that could rise to 5 feet along the coast and high winds are expected Wednesday evening and Thursday.
The ominous forecast has led to evacuations orders in some Florida counties still reeling from the devastation of Ian, which struck in September on the state’s west coast, then raked damage across Florida, killing at least 120 people there and leveling communities.
Ahead of Nicole, more than a dozen school districts have closed schools Wednesday or will dismiss students early, with some closures running through week’s end, according to the Florida Department of Education.
Orlando International Airport will suspend operations starting Wednesday afternoon. Miami International Airport said Tuesday it would remain open, adding the storm may affect flights Wednesday.
In Volusia County, home to Daytona Beach, the storm poses a direct threat to life and property, county manager George Recktenwald said. Those in flood-prone areas, RV parks and other places are ordered to evacuate starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
“Our infrastructure, especially along the coastline, is extremely vulnerable because of Hurricane Ian’s impacts,” Recktenwald noted in a statement on the county’s website. “We expect further erosion along the beach, along with flooding in areas that were previously flooded by Ian. Residents need to take this storm seriously.”
In Palm Beach County, an evacuation mandate began at 7 a.m. for zones including barrier islands and low-lying areas, officials said.
Some in Brevard County also were advised to evacuate starting at 7 a.m. The recommendation applies to barrier islands, including areas from Kennedy Space Center south beaches and Merritt Island, plus those in other flood-prone areas, in mobile and manufactured homes, and who are dependent on electricity, the county said.
“A dangerous storm surge from #Nicole is expected along much of the east coast of FL & portions of coastal GA,” the National Hurricane Center’s Storm Surge Unit said. “The storm surge will be accompanied by large & damaging waves. Please listen to advice from local officials.”
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Nicole was about 60 miles east-northeast of the Bahamas’ Great Abaco island and 240 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, with sustained winds of 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of becoming a Category 1 hurricane, the hurricane center said.
Areas along the coast of southeast and east-central Florida should brace for hurricane conditions beginning late Wednesday or Wednesday night, the hurricane center said. The Florida Peninsula could also see heavy rainfall Wednesday and Thursday.
“The center of Nicole will approach the northwestern Bahamas (Wednesday) morning, move near or over those islands by midday, and approach the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area tonight,” the hurricane center said.
“Nicole’s center is then expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and then across the Carolinas Friday and Friday night.”
A hurricane warning in Florida is in effect from Boca Raton to the Flagler-Volusia County line.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Florida’s west coast north of Bonita Beach to Indian Pass. Areas from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to South Santee River in South Carolina remain under tropical storm warning Wednesday morning.
A hurricane warning remained in effect in the northwestern Bahamas.
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