Jan Wesner Childs and Sean Breslin
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Nicole made landfall as a hurricane on Florida's East Coast early Thursday which has been battered with strong winds, high surf and rain since Wednesday morning.
Waves ate away at vulnerable beaches already damaged by Hurricane Ian, putting some buildings in danger of collapse.
(MORE: The Latest Forecast For Nicole)
Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for parts of at least three counties, dozens of school districts and universities canceled classes, and airports and theme parks closed.
(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 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 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 made landfall at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday morning just south of Vero Beach, Florida. Maximum sustained winds were 75 mph, making Nicole at Category 1 hurricane.
Updates on Nicole's impacts from Wednesday follow below.
(10:13 p.m. ET) November Hurricanes Rare For Florida
Only two other hurricanes have made landfall in Florida since record keeping began in 1853, according to NOAA. One was an unnamed storm in 1935. The other was Hurricane Kate in 1985.
(9:52 p.m. ET) Residents Asked To Stay Home
Several counties are telling residents to stay home, stay off the roads and avoid flooded areas and beaches, which may be hazardous for several days in some areas.
(9:41 p.m. ET) Power Outages Limited So Far
About 8,000 homes, businesses and other utility customers are without electricity in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us. In areas being affected by Nicole, the highest number of outages right now is about 1,900 in Miami-Dade County.
(9:29 p.m. ET) Is Hurricane Season Over Yet?
At this point, hurricane fatigue might be setting in no matter where you live. This may cause you to wonder: When will the Atlantic hurricane season end?
The answer: The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs through the end of November. But it's not as simple as that.
Even though the season technically ends on November 30, the season's last storm typically happens before then. Read more here.
(9:19 p.m. ET) Flooding in Fort Lauderdale
There are multiple reports of flooded streets in Fort Lauderdale, according to a social media post from the city.
(8:28 p.m. ET) Water Running Through The Streets In South Florida
Video from Hollywood Beach in Broward County shows flooding in a hotel district near the Atlantic Ocean.
(6:15 p.m. ET) Fears Rise Over Possible Building Collapses In Daytona Area
“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 moments ago. "I’ve been here 30 years. There's never been anything like this … we’ve got a real problem.”
Buildings in Daytona Beach Shores were left vulnerable by erosion from Hurricane Ian, and Nicole is making things worse.
First responders went door to door today urging residents of several beachfront to leave. The buildings were already under a mandatory evacuation order, but people had chosen to stay behind.
Fowler said about 200 left after the knock on their door. Others are still there.
"We got their names, their contact information and their next of kin so we can let their next of kin know," he said.
(5:59 p.m. ET) Nicole Is Officially A Hurricane
The storm has been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph. The expected impacts of the storm remain the same.
(5:24 p.m. ET) Biden Approves Federal Emergency Declaration
President Joe Biden opened the door for federal assistance to 45 counties in Florida.
The federal emergency declaration covers the following counties: 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, as well as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
(4:59 p.m. ET) Condos Being Evacuated In Daytona Area
Several oceanfront condominium buildings are being evacuated in Daytona Beach Shores over fears that they could collapse. County officials had warned that some buildings were at high risk due to erosion that happened during Ian and further damage from Nicole.
(4:57 p.m. ET) State Of Emergency Expanded
The state of emergency in Florida has been widened to include 11 additional counties, for a total of 45. The newly added counties are Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Levy, Marion, Pinellas, Taylor, and Wakulla.
(4:43 p.m. ET) Nicole Still Forecast To Become A Hurricane
Nicole is forecast to make landfall in Florida as a hurricane, but its impacts including prolonged coastal flooding, beach erosion, strong winds, high surf, heavy rain and tornadoes will impact other parts of the Southeast as well as the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Currently, wind gusts over 40 mph are occurring along and near Florida's Atlantic coast. A few gusts over 50 mph have been reported, at times.
Click here for the full forecast.
(4:17 p.m. ET) Curfew For Volusia County
A county-wide curfew goes into affect at 7 p.m. for Volusia County, until 7 a.m tomorrow. Residents are being told to shelter in place unless they are evacuating.
A building is collapsed in Volusia County, Florida, as Nicole moves in on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022.(2:13 p.m. ET) Power Outages Ticking Up
About 10,000 power outages are being reported in Florida right now, according to PowerOutage.us. About a quarter of those are inland in Highlands County, in the southern half of the state, and about 1,500 are in Palm Beach County.
(1:58 p.m. ET) Winds Gusting Near 60 mph
Winds in excess of 50 mph have been recorded in some locations, including 56 mph atop a tower at Cape Canaveral in Brevard County and 55 mph in Juno Beach in Palm Beach County.
(1:18 p.m. ET) Schools, Universities Cancel Classes
Seventeen school districts are closed or dismissing early today, and 23 are closed tomorrow.
Major universities canceling classes or some activities include the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida and University of Florida.
(1:10 p.m. ET) Utility Workers In Position, National Guard Activated
Some 16,000 utility workers are pre-positioned to respond to outages in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a morning news briefing.
A convoy of power trucks was seen heading east toward the coast on State Highway 528 shortly before noon.
DeSantis also said 600 members of the National Guard have been activated, and seven urban search and rescue teams are standing by.
(12:40 p.m. ET) Nicole Makes First Landfall, In The Bahamas
Nicole made landfall on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas at 11:55 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph during its landfall.
(12:05 p.m. ET) Structures Damaged In Daytona Beach Shores
As rough seas battered Florida's east coast, erosion and coastal flooding were worsening. In Daytona Beach Shores, seawalls were collapsing and structural damage was reported late Wednesday morning.
(11:45 a.m. ET) Disney World Closing Early
Walt Disney World Resort announced that its Florida theme parks will close early Wednesday and likely will not open on time Thursday morning due to the impacts of Nicole.
(11:20 a.m. ET) Streets Flooded In Port Orange
Video shared to social media showed roads underwater in Port Orange, south of Daytona Beach. Vehicles can be seen moving slowly through the floodwaters Wednesday morning.
(11 a.m. ET) Tampa Airport Expected To Remain Open
In a tweet sent Wednesday morning, Tampa International Airport officials announced that the airport should be open for normal operations during the storm, but they will monitor conditions closely.
(10:45 a.m. ET) Storm Surge Warning In Effect North of Tampa Bay
A storm surge warning has been issued for the coastlines of Pasco, Hernando, Citrus and Levy counties. The National Weather Service forecasts 3-5 feet of storm surge in those areas at the peak of the storm.
(10:25 a.m. ET) Tornadoes Possible With Nicole
Along the east side of the storm, it's possible that a few tornadoes could spin up after landfall. Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari has more details on where those twisters could occur.
(9:45 a.m. ET) Islands In The Bahamas Endure Yet Another Storm
In 2019, islands in the northwestern Bahamas were dealt a devastating blow as Hurricane Dorian reached Category 5 strength and parked over Great Abaco and Grand Bahama islands. Though Nicole is a far less intense storm, it's yet another tropical system to pass over these same islands.
"For those in Grand Bahama and Abaco, I know it is especially difficult for you to face another storm," Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis told reporters at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit in Egypt, which he is attending.
(9:15 a.m. ET) Don't Expect The 'Blowout Tide' in Tampa Bay
During Hurricane Ian, images filled social media showing the water in Tampa Bay pulled out by the massive storm. But with Nicole, we're not expecting to see the same thing.
Here's an explanation on why the blowout tide won't be present with this storm.
(9 a.m. ET) Flooding Reported Along Intracoastal In Palm Beach
Local reporter Kimberly Miller shared several videos on Twitter that showed some of the flooding ongoing in Palm Beach.
(8:45 a.m. ET) Cruise Ships With Nowhere To Go
At least two cruise ships are stuck out at sea, waiting for Nicole to pass before bringing passengers home. According to The Points Guy, two Holland America cruise ships with more than 4,700 combined passengers will not return to port in Fort Lauderdale until Thursday, after the storm has passed.
"With the safety of our guests and crew an utmost priority, Eurodam and Rotterdam will stay at sea an extra day due to Tropical Storm Nicole," Holland America told The Points Guy in a statement. "The ships will remain at sea and safely away from the storm."
(8:30 a.m. ET) Cantore Watches Tree Blow Over
Reporting live from Daytona Beach, Florida, Wednesday morning, The Weather Channel storm tracker Jim Cantore watched as a tree was blown over along the eroding coastline.
You can see the video here.
(8:15 a.m. ET) Martin County Roads Taking On Water
As the storm begins to erode away the coastline, water is coming ashore in parts of Martin County, north of West Palm Beach along the Treasure Coast. Drivers were urged to use caution while driving along inundated roads.
(8 a.m. ET) Evacuations Underway In Several Florida Counties
Thousands of residents in multiple Florida counties were being urged to evacuate vulnerable areas as the storm closed in on the state. Here's a page we're updating frequently that shows which counties have evacuation orders and recommendations.
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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