As the threat of tornadoes rises overnight, authorities are telling people to have more than one way to get weather alerts before they go to bed.
As Hurricane Nicole comes ashore in Florida overnight, heavy rain bands will move across the east coast. In these bands of rain, there may be tornadoes that form quickly and last for only a few minutes, but they are strong enough to cause damage and threaten lives.
As the system moves across the Florida Peninsula, the danger moves toward the I-301 corridor by Thursday morning.
Tornadoes are often caused by hurricanes when they hit land because the rain bands interact with the coast. The most likely place for tornadoes to happen is in the right, front quadrant of the tropical system.
Hurricane Nicole is Approaching Florida’s East Coast
Hurricane Nicole is heading toward the east coast of Florida. It will bring heavy rain, strong winds, and a dangerous storm surge Wednesday night.
The National Hurricane Center tweeted around 11 p.m. EST that radar images show Nicole’s eye moving away from Grand Bahama Island and toward the state.
The Hurricane Center says the storm is moving closer at 13 mph and is about 50 miles northeast of Palm Beach, Florida. It has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
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The hurricane center says that Nicole’s center is expected to hit the east coast of Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday if everything goes as planned.
BREAKING: Nicole is now a hurricane with winds of 75 mph. #Nicole will make landfall tonight on the Florida East Coast. pic.twitter.com/dAbEsm47zs
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) November 9, 2022
Nicole is expected to bring flash flooding and big waves that could cause damage.
The Hurricane Center said, “Don’t worry about Nicole’s exact path because it’s a big storm with dangers well to the north of the center and outside the forecast cone.” “Many parts of the Florida peninsula and parts of the southeast US will be affected by these dangers.”
Fort Lauderdale’s Barrier Island Continues to Flood Due to the Storm Surge
As Hurricane Nicole moves closer to Florida’s east coast, officials in Fort Lauderdale say the storm surge is flooding the barrier island and making many roads impassable Wednesday evening.
“The storm surge from the south end of the city to the north end of the city keeps flooding the barrier island. There are problems with traffic flow, and many roads are blocked “Wednesday night, Fort Lauderdale Police said on Twitter.
As Nicole moved toward the state and pushed rising sea water inland from the coast, the National Hurricane Center issued several storm surge watches and warnings.
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“”Trying to drive during the storm is dangerous and should be avoided,” Fort Lauderdale Police said.
High tide is expected around 9 p.m. ET, and flooding has already started in the area, according to officials from the city of Fort Lauderdale.
Where Things Stand With Hurricane Nicole as of 10 P.m. Wednesday
The National Hurricane Center said at 10 p.m. Wednesday that Hurricane Nicole is likely to hit the east coast of Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday, after wreaking havoc in the northwest Bahamas.
The center says the storm is 75 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, and moving west-northwest at 13 mph. Nicole has winds that stay at 75 mph.
#Nicole became a hurricane as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island.
Sustained winds are up to 75 mph.
Landfall still expected in Florida near Port St. Lucie overnight.@WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/7HXWWqm4zi— Kaitlyn McGrath (@KaitlynMcGrath) November 9, 2022
The hurricane center says that Nicole’s center will then move across central and northern Florida, into southern Georgia on Thursday and Thursday night, and into the Carolinas on Friday.
NHC says that Nicole will bring “strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and heavy rains, and that large, intense bands extend quite far from the center.” Also, they stress that “Nicole is a big storm whose dangers are far north of the center and outside the forecast cone.”
Nicole is expected to hit land around 1 a.m. ET in Florida. The center said that the storm is likely to stop being a tropical cyclone by Friday afternoon as it moves from Florida into the southeastern US.
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Because of the storm’s wind and storm surge, officials have already said that some buildings are unsafe or could fall down. Universities and amusement parks have also shut down so they can get ready for Nicole to hit land. Also, thousands of flights were canceled to get ready.
To get ready for Nicole, Gov. Ron DeSantis added 11 more counties to the 34 counties that were already in a state of emergency.
Volusia County Officials Deem 22 Single Homes Unsafe
Kevin Captain, a spokesperson for Volusia County, says that high tides and erosion of the coast are big worries right now as Hurricane Nicole approaches.
Officials in Volusia County said that 22 single-family homes in the unincorporated area of Wilbur-by-the-Sea were not safe. All of the homes had to be left.
“Those buildings that were deemed unsafe are directly related to some of the coastal erosion we’ve seen,” he said, admitting that Hurricane Ian left the coast vulnerable when it hit six weeks ago.
“It [Hurricane Ian] hit our coast hard and took away our buffer, which meant that we lost all of the sand we had as a protective layer,” he said. “So when you take away that buffer and add another storm on top of that, it’s a problem and a recipe for disaster.”
The captain said that there were about 60 people in shelters run by the county.
He told people to stay off the beach by saying that a tourist died when she went outside during Hurricane Ian, fell, and drowned on the beach.
The county officials in Volusia County think that the damage assessment will start tomorrow.
Hurricane Nicole Brings Dangerous Storm Surge and Strong Winds to Grand Bahama Island
The latest report from the National Hurricane Center says that Nicole is still a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph. The hurricane is still bringing strong winds and dangerous storm surge to Grand Bahama Island, according to the hurricane center.
As Nicole keeps moving over the islands, a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet is expected along the northwest coast of the Bahamas.
The hurricane center said, “Tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 485 miles from the center, especially to the north of the center, and hurricane-force winds reach out 10 miles from the center.” “Recently, a 61 mph wind gust was measured at a Mesonet observation site in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.”
#Nicole became a hurricane as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island.
Sustained winds are up to 75 mph.
Landfall still expected in Florida near Port St. Lucie overnight.@WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/7HXWWqm4zi— Kaitlyn McGrath (@KaitlynMcGrath) November 9, 2022
Nicole is moving west at 13 mph and is 20 miles east-northeast of Freeport, Bahamas, and 100 miles west of Palm Beach, Florida.
The hurricane center said, “We don’t expect Nicole’s strength to change much tonight, and we think it will stay a hurricane until it hits the east coast of Florida tonight or early Thursday.”
Universities Across Florida Ahead of Hurricane Nicole
As Category 1 hurricane Hurricane Nicole moves toward Florida, colleges and universities all over the state are closing and canceling classes.
Thursday, November 10 is the last day for Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida, and the University of North Florida.
On Thursday, all classes at the University of South Florida will be held online, and the campus will be closed.
