Jan Wesner Childs and Sean Breslin
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Nicole came ashore as a hurricane Thursday in Florida, washing homes into the ocean and leaving at least two people dead.
Waves ate away at vulnerable beaches already damaged by Hurricane Ian, causing some homes to collapse and others to be perilously close to doing so.
Two people died when they touched power lines in the Orlando area, and one person was rescued from a sailboat.
(MORE: The Latest Forecast For Nicole)
Here's a look at what happened as Nicole moved across the state Thursday.
(9:19 p.m. ET) More Than 100,000 Still Without Power
More than 100,000 homes, businesses and other utility customers are without power across the state, according to PowerOutage.us. The highest number is about 38,000 in Brevard County, followed by about 10,000 in Volusia.
Anyone using a portable generator for power should remember to never place it inside or within 20 feet of any building or enclosed structure, windows, doors or vents.
(9:03 p.m. ET) High Winds Stretched Across The State
It wasn't just the Atlantic side of Florida that saw high winds. Dozens of locations in the Tampa Bay region on the Gulf Coast saw gusts between 40 mph and 60 mph, according to reports compiled by the National Weather Service. Some of the more notable: 65 mph at Clearwater Beach, 58 mph at Old Port Tampa, 54 mph at St. Petersburg's Albert Whitted Airport, 48 mph in Tarpon Springs and 45 mph on Longboat Key.
(8:30 p.m. ET) Portions Of A1A Washed Out
Crews are working to repair sections of Florida State Road A1A damaged by waves that washed over the road.
The iconic road runs along north-south the entire length of Florida's Atlantic Coast, passing through small beach towns lined with residential streets and surf shops, to urban areas flanked by highrises and tourist districts.
Crews will be working around the clock on at least one washout, in Vilano Beach in St. John's County, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
(8:18 p.m. ET) Storm Might Have Contributed To Fatal Crash In Orlando Area
A fatal vehicle crash in Orange County is under investigation as possibly weather-related, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The crash was on Florida's Turnpike as the storm was moving through. At least one ramp onto the highway was closed due to flooding Thursday morning.
(5:19 p.m. ET) NASA: Artemis Rocket Has 'Very Minor' Damage
Teams at Florida's Kennedy Space Center are inspecting NASA's Artemis moon rocket for damage after wind gusts in excess of 70 mph in the area as Nicole moved through.
"Camera inspections show very minor damage such as loose caulk and tears in weather coverings," Jim Free, associate administrator for exploration systems development at NASA, tweeted. "The team will conduct additional onsite walkdown inspections of the vehicle soon."
The Space Exploration System rocket and its Orion spacecraft were rolled to the launchpad last week in anticipation of a launch originally scheduled for Monday. That has now been pushed to at least Wednesday.
(5:09 p.m. ET) Multiple Vehicle Crashes In Jacksonville
Several vehicle crashes that happened today in Jacksonville are likely related to the weather, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Ellis Burns said in an afternoon news briefing. Burns said officers had responded to at least 20 crashes, many of which involved people trapped in vehicles.
(5:06 p.m. ET) Orlando International Airport To Partially Reopen
Domestic arrivals will resume at 8 p.m. tonight at Orlando International Airport. Domestic departures and international service will reopen tomorrow. The airport, one of the busiest in the world, closed yesterday afternoon ahead of Nicole.
(4:26 p.m. ET) Crews Battle Flood Threat In Jacksonville
City public works employees are working to keep drainage systems clear ahead of tonight's high tide, which is forecast to happen at about 9:15 tonight. A post to social media showed photos of standing water and downed trees.
(3:48 p.m. ET) State Of Emergency Extended To All Of Florida
Florida's 67 counties are now all under a state of emergency. An emergency declaration issued Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis originally included 34 counties. It was extended to 45 counties yesterday and the rest of the state was added this morning.
(3:35 p.m. ET) Trees, Power Lines Down In Orlando
Crews are cleaning up downed trees and power lines in the Orlando area, where damage assessments are ongoing.
City Hall, schools and Orlando International Airport remain closed.
(3:25 p.m. ET) Wind Gusts Up To 80 MPH
A new list of high wind reports includes gusts up to 80 mph in Melbourne, 78 mph in Cocoa Beach and 75 mph in Cape Canaveral. All those locations are in Brevard County. In Volusia County, Daytona Beach recorded a gust of 70 mph.
Jacksonville, further to the north, clocked winds over 60 mph, as did Orlando in the middle of the state and St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast.
(2:57 p.m. ET) Hundreds Of Thousands Still Without Power
More than 280,000 power outages are being reported in Florida, according to poweroutage.us. The highest number - about 79,000 - is in Brevard County, which sits on the Atlantic Ocean east of Orlando in an area also known as the Space Coast.
(2:32 p.m. ET) 'Life Threatening' Beach Conditions On Florida's East Coast
Beaches up and down the East Coast are still being inundated with high surf, and many are littered with debris. This is especially true in Volusia County, where erosion is eating away at oceanfront properties.
“If you go anywhere near the beach, you’re putting your life in danger," Tammy Malphurs, deputy chief of beach safety and ocean rescue for Volusia County, said in a 2 p.m. news conference.
(2:25 p.m. ET) Dozens Of Buildings Now Considered In Danger
At least 19 hotel or condominium buildings and 40 single family homes have been compromised by erosion along Volusia County beaches, officials there said during the news conference.
Damage assessments are ongoing, and issues may not be visible to the untrained eye.
“The structural damage along our coastline is unprecedented,” County Manager George Recktenwald said.
“This is going to be a long road to recovery.”
While most residents in the affected buildings have left, county spokesperson Kevin Captain said there could still be a few "outliers" who chose to stay, and more damage could come with the next high tide and tonight's full moon.
(1:59 p.m. ET) Man Who Lived Aboard Sailboat Rescued
Brevard County sheriff's deputies rescued a man whose sailboat broke loose from its anchor chains as Nicole churned the Indian River Lagoon off Cocoa Village.
Robert Shufelt has lived aboard the boat for more than a decade, according to Florida Today. He called for help when the chains for all three of the boat's anchors broke.
Deputies John Coppola and Mike Ryle reached Shufelt in a motorized rubber boat despite the rough waves.
Shufelt did not want to go to a hospital.
“I don’t know where I’m going now, that’s all I can say,” Shufelt told the newspaper. “I had three anchors down and they broke loose. That’s how powerful she was.”
“This ain’t my first hurricane, but this one took me down.”
(1:08 p.m. ET) Dam Breach Threatens Homes in Port Orange
A dam has breached in the city of Port Orange, Florida, possibly exposing several hundred homes to flooding, according to Fox 35.
Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette told the station the seawall and bank on the north end of the Cambridge Canal drainage system have been compromised.
The higher-than-normal tides were pushing water into the area.
Several hundred homes in the area also flooded during Hurricane Ian.
(12:26 p.m. ET) More Daytona Condos Evacuated
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office has warned residents of the Tower Grande Condominums in Daytona Beach to evacuate. The Sheriff's Office said it's because of unsafe conditions after the seawall there collapsed.
Residents of neighboring buildings, the Castaways Beach Resort and the Opus Condominiums, also were told to leave, according to Fox 35.
The Sheriff's Office also said all bridges to the beaches, except those to New Smyrna Beach, have been closed because of safety hazards on the beaches.
(12 p.m. ET) Two Deaths Confirmed In Florida
Authorities in Orange County, Florida, announced that two people died after coming in contact with a downed power line early Thursday. They said the incident occurred at Bayfront Parkway and Pershing Avenue.
Deputies and firefighters arrived at the intersection about 9:30 a.m. and found a man dead, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He had made contact with the power line after he got out of his car, an OCSO spokesperson told the newspaper.
A woman traveling with him was also electrocuted, and later died at a hospital, the Sentinel reported.
(10:42 a.m. ET) Properties 'Are Collapsing Into The Ocean'
Krista Goodrich is property manager for beachfront vacation homes in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, where several of the homes are being damaged as the beach below them washes away.
“Two of our three properties are collapsing into the ocean,” Goodrich told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “FEMA’s here; the National Guard is here; Sheriff Chitwood is here,” she said. “They’re knocking on doors, going door-to-door in Wilbur making everyone leave because the ocean is basically creating sinkholes beneath these houses.
According to Goodrich, Volusia County Sheriff Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood said seven houses had fallen into the sea.
“And they anticipate more,” she said. “It’s going to change our landscape forever.”
Goodrich told Live Storms Media that damage to sea walls and erosion caused by Hurricane Ian left the homes, some of which were built in the 1960s, vulnerable to the storm surge from Nicole.
Waves from Nicole have caused severe erosion on the beach in Wilbur-By-The-Sea in Florida's Volusia County. Several homes have been severely damaged and some have collapsed, according to reports.(9:58 a.m. ET) Impacts Felt Along South Carolina Coast
The onshore wind is causing flooding in Charleston, South Carolina. Several streets have been closed, according to the Police Department.
To the north, water has washed across streets on Pawleys Island as well.
(9:54 a.m. ET) A1A Damaged On Flagler Beach
Flagler County Emergency Management has shared photos damage caused by erosion on Flagler Beach. The post says there is significant damage to Highway A1A.
Damage caused by Tropical Storm Nicole along Highway A1A in Flagler Beach, Florida, on Thursday, November 10, 2022.(9:41 a.m. ET) St. Johns River Flooding Again
The town of Welaka, Florida, in Putnam County is experiencing flooding from the St. Johns River. Photos posted on the town's Facebook page show water almost knee-deep in the Sportsman Harbor neighborhood.
(9:32 a.m. ET) Disney Announces Parks To Reopen Today
The Magic Kingdom will reopen at noon today. Epcot and Animal Kingdom will reopen at 1 p.m., and Hollywood Studios will open at 2 p.m., according to a news release from the parks. Transportation to theme parks will begin 30 minutes before the scheduled park reopening time.
(9:16 a.m. ET) Nearly 320,000 Lose Power
Nicole has knocked out power to almost 320,00 homes and businesses in Florida, according to poweroutage.us.
(9:09 a.m. ET) Chunk Of Pier Gone
A large section of the 900-foot-long Anglin's Fishing Pier in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea has been washed away by Nicole.
“Anglin’s Fishing Pier is such an iconic landmark in our town, and seeing it damaged is heartbreaking. While the pier is privately owned, I know our Town will do what we can to support the property owner in the coming days and months,” Mayor Chris Vincent said in a tweet.
(8:46 a.m. ET) St. Augustine Floods
As it did during Hurricane Ian, the bayfront in St. Augustine has again flooded. The Bridge of Lions has closed to all traffic other than emergency vehicles, according to the St. Johns County EOC.
(8:36 a.m. ET) Erosion Damages 5 To 6 Homes
A half dozen or so houses appear to be close to falling into the ocean at Wilbur-By-The-Sea in Florida's Volusia County, according to WESH. Video from reporter Claire Metz showed several homes hanging over what was left of the dune. Another showed one home was missing its entire backside.
Another video from WFTV showed homes that had collapsed.
(7:54 a.m. ET) Did Daytona Beach Shores Buildings Survive?
We're still awaiting an update on the fate of several condo and hotel buildings in Daytona Beach Shores that were left vulnerable by erosion from Hurricane Ian. On Wednesday, officials went door to door warning residents to evacuate the buildings.
“There is a real risk that we are going to have a major structure go down in this area," Daytona Beach Shores Public Safety Director Mike Fowler told The Weather Channel. "I’ve been here 30 years. There's never been anything like this … we’ve got a real problem.”
(WATCH: Jim Cantore is outside a condo that looks like it could collapse at any moment)
The area was under a mandatory evacuation order, but some people had chosen to remain behind.
Fowler said about 200 left after the knock on their door. Others were still there.
(7:28 a.m. ET) More than 230,000 Lose Power
Nicole has knocked out power to more than 234,000 homes and businesses in Florida, according to poweroutage.us. The biggest part of those are in Volusia, Brevard and Indian River counties on Florida's east coast.
(7:18 a.m. ET) Skyway Closes Because Of Winds
The Sunshine Skyway bridge over Tampa Bay has closed because winds have reached 50 mph, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
(4:00 a.m. ET) Nicole Now A Tropical Storm Again
Nicole has weakened back to a strong tropical storm just one hour after its landfall. More weakening of the storm is expected as Nicole moves farther inland, but impacts from storm surge, strong winds and heavy rainfall will continue from Florida up the East Coast to end the workweek.
(3:50 a.m. ET) Wind Gust Over 70 MPH
Wind gusts of 70 mph or greater have been clocked on Florida's Atlantic coast this morning. That includes 73 mph at Playalinda Beach, 71 mph at Cape Canaveral and 70 mph at Melbourne.
(3:00 a.m. ET) Nicole Makes Landfall
Nicole made landfall at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday morning just south of Vero Beach, Florida. Maximum sustained winds were 75 mph, making Nicole a Category 1 hurricane.
You'll find reports on Nicole's impacts from Wednesday here.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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