Hurricane Nicole To Be Felt Along Storm-Weary FL West Coast

TAMPA BAY, FL — A tropical storm warning is now in effect for all counties in West Central and Southwest Florida including Tampa Bay as Hurricane Nicole gains strength while churning toward Florida's east coast.

According to the National Weather Service in Tampa, forecasters nudged the track of Hurricane Nicole a bit to the south in the last 24 hours, and say the winds will be stronger than they originally predicted.

Landfall is predicted in southeast Florida Wednesday night and reach Tampa Bay Thursday morning.

The southerly track will mean Hurricane Nicole will make landfall on the east coast of Florida and have a bigger impact on Southwest Florida, which is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian in September.

The National Weather Service said there's a potential for 2 to 4 feet of storm surge Wednesday night along the Nature Coast, which stretches from Pasco to Levy counties. A storm watch remains in effect for the entire Nature Coast.

Forecasters said residents can expect tides to be 3 to 4 feet below normal in Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor and the coastal beaches on Wednesday and Thursday. Then tides will be 1 to 3 feet above normal along the west coast of Florida Thursday night into Friday as winds come onshore.

Additionally, a flood watch is in effect for rain-saturated Polk County, which is still flooded following Hurricane Ian.

The heaviest rain is forecast to be north and east of the eyewall as it crosses Florida.

Rivers that could reach flood stage by Friday or Saturday include:

• Peace River, especially in Hardee and DeSoto counties
• Horse Creek
• Alafia River
• Little Manatee River
• Manatee River
• Withlacoochee River, which has the potential for minor flooding next week.

There is the potential for 30 to 40 mph winds with gusts of up to 65 mph across Central Florida, Tampa Bay and the Nature Coast overnight, said the weather service.

There's also a marginal risk of tornadoes Wednesday night into Thursday in Highlands, DeSoto, Hardee, Polk and Sumter counties.

On Tuesday night, President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida and ordered the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster relief assistance in the counties of Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Taylor, Volusia, and Wakulla and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.