Tropical Storm Nicole Causing Cancelations Before FL Landfall

Updated at 1:55 p.m. Nov. 8

FLORIDA — Watches and warnings are being extended along Florida's east coast and into central Florida as Nicole officially becomes a tropical storm as of the National Hurricane Center in Miami's noon update.

The strengthening storm and its likely track from east to west across the state has prompted a growing number of school districts to close Wednesday and Thursday.

The hurricane center said Tropical Storm 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, Nicole is moving west-southwest at 9 mph, making a beeline for Florida's east coast. The hurricane center said that movement should continue through Wednesday. Then the storm is expected to make a turn toward the northwest.

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will approach 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.

Florida disaster management officials are calling Nicole a "dangerous storm" that will bring large and damaging waves along the coast. The storm is also expected to produce flash flooding, heavy rainfall, high winds and tornadoes along the east coast and into Central Florida. Residents are urged to prepare and brace for the storm's impact.

In anticipation, Florida theme parks, airports and school districts along the east coast, central Florida and as far as the west coast have announced closures.

Related: Pasco Schools Closed Thursday Due To Expected Strong Winds From Nicole

According to Accuweather, Nicole is being controlled by a combination of strong easterly winds from the Atlantic and the effects of the full moon. put Nicole on track to impact

The storm is expected to produce storm surge of 3 to 6 feet from West Palm Beach north, increasing to higher than 6 feet from Daytona Beach to the Space Coast. Southeast Georgia into portions of South Carolina will receive 1 to 4 inches of rain.

The combination of dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, said the hurricane center.

A hurricane warning has been issued from Boca Raton to the Flagler/Volusia County line.

A hurricane watch has been issued from the Flagler/Volusia County line to Ponte Vedra Beach, from Hallandale Beach to Boca Raton, and Lake Okeechobee.

And a tropical storm watch has been issued from Altamaha Sound to the Savannah River in Georgia.

A storm surge watch has been issued as well from Altamaha Sound to the Savannah River in Georgia, from North Palm Beach to Hallandale Beach in Florida, and from the Anclote River in Pasco and Pinellas counties to the Suwanee River on Florida's west coast.

A storm surge warning is now in effect from North Palm Beach to Altamaha Sound in Georgia and from the mouth of the St. Johns River to Georgetown in Florida. This includes the area south of Hallandale Beach to north of Ocean Reef and the area north of Bonita Beach to the Ochlockonee River.

A warning means that conditions are expected within 36 hours. A watch means these conditions will occur within 48 hours.

Large swells generated by Nicole will affect the east coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern
United States coast during the next several days, said the hurricane center. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

In anticipation of the storm, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 34 Florida counties on Monday.

The storm developed over a month after Hurricane Ian slammed into the Fort Myers area on Sept. 28, killing 130 people in the state, causing billions in damage, and devastating the barrier islands of Sanibel, Pine and Captiva.

Nicole is the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic season, which ends at the end of November.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if Nicole hits Florida as a hurricane as predicted, it will be the first November hurricane to hit the United States in 37 years.

The last hurricane to make landfall in November was Hurricane Kate, which struck the Florida panhandle on Nov. 21, 1985, as a Category 2 hurricane.

Related stories:

• Nicole Hurricane Watch In Effect, 34 FL Counties In Emergency Status
• Hurricane Season 2022 Predicted To Be 'Above Normal': NOAA
• 2022 Hurricane Names List Released For Atlantic Season

Forecasters at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said in their annual prediction for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and continues through Nov. 30, that the season should be active.

According to this year's forecast, the ongoing La Niña, in addition to above-average ocean temperatures, means there's a 65 percent chance the 2022 hurricane season will be above normal.
For the 2022 season, forecasters are predicting 14 to 21 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, anywhere from six to 10 of the storms could become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher.

This year's season could also spawn anywhere from three to six major hurricanes rated a category 3 or higher, forecasters said.