Storm-Weary FL West Coast Should Brace For Nicole: Weather Service

FLORIDA — Still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian, a tropical storm watch has been issued for coastal and inland Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties as Hurricane Nicole moves closer to Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Tampa.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hurricane Nicole is now a large tropical cyclone with tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 380 miles from the center and maximum sustained winds at 50 mph with higher gusts.

Located 395 miles east of West Palm Beach, the forecast track shows the center of Nicole approaching the east coast of Florida Wednesday night, strengthening to a Category 1 hurricane as it makes landfall somewhere around the central east coast between West Palm Beach to St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach late Wednesday or early Thursday.

The NWS said a tropical storm watch and storm surge watch have also been issued for the Nature Coast, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Levy and Pasco counties.

And a tropical storm watch is in effect for Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk, Sumter and Citrus counties.

A watch means these conditions are anticipated within 48 hours.

The NWS urges residents of west coast Florida counties to prepare for dangerous winds across West Central and Southwest Florida that could damage roofing and siding materials, porches, awnings, carports and sheds.

The NWS said the wind could blow out windows and rip off doors, damage mobile homes, especially if they're unanchored, and cause unsecured objects to become dangerous projectiles.

The wind may also snap or uproot large trees in places where trees are shallow-rooted, and blow down road signs and fencing.

Some roads may become impassable due to large debris, and bridges and other access routes may have to be closed, said the NWS.

The weather service said residents should also expect scattered power and communications outages, especially in areas with above-ground lines.

The Nature Coast should prepare for life-threatening storm surge, inundating coastal areas with flooding accentuated by strong waves.

Sections of near-shore escape routes and secondary roads could become weakened or washed out, especially in vulnerable low spots.

Nature Coast residents may also see moderate damage to marinas, docks, boardwalks and piers, beach erosion with heavy surf breaching sand dunes and strong, dangerous rip currents. Small boats may break away from moorings, especially in unprotected anchorages.

The weather service said there could be limited impacts from storm surge across Tampa Bay as well.

However, there should be little or no storm surge impact in hurricane-weary Southwest Florida.

Areas of West-Central and Southwest Florida where water has just begun to recede could see more flooding from rainfall in already saturated areas, prompting evacuations and rescues.

Rivers and tributaries may quickly swell with swifter currents and spill over their banks in places, especially in usually vulnerable spots. Small streams, creeks, retention ponds, canals, and ditches may overflow.

Some streets and parking lots could become inundated with moving water as storm drains and retention ponds overflow, making driving conditions hazardous.

The National Weather Service said residents in interior West-Central Florida should also prepare for the possibility of tornadoes.