Story at a glance
- Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to make landfall in Florida late Wednesday night, forecasters predict.
- The storm is currently 185 miles east of Palm Beach with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.
- Although the Atlantic Hurricane season runs until the end of November, hurricanes this time of year are rare.
Just a month after Florida was slammed by Hurricane Ian, the state is again bracing for another storm.
Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to turn into a Category 1 hurricane later tonight and make landfall near the Stuart, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce areas in Florida, forecasters predict.
As Nicole brings heavy rainfall to Florida, waters are expected to surge along most of the state’s eastern coast as well as parts of Georgia and Florida’s Big Bend, according to National Hurricane Center.
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The surge will be accompanied by large and damaging waves along the Atlantic, the Center warned.
As of 11:55 Wednesday morning, Tropical Storm Nicole officially made landfall on the western part of the Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. The storm is 185 miles east of Palm Beach, Fla., and moving westward at about 12 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Nicole’s maximum wind speeds are just 4 miles per hour short of turning the storm into a full-blown hurricane. If the storm does reach hurricane status, it will be the first to touchdown in Florida in the month of November in 37 years.
The threat of Tropical Storm Nicole forced people from their homes in the Bahamas earlier Wednesday and prompted some Florida airports to shut down and evacuate.
Palm Beach International Airport announced on Wednesday that they would stop all commercial flights by 11:00 a.m., and Orlando International Airport announced it would stop all commercial operations by 4 p.m.
Maimi International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Tampa International Airport are still open but have warned travelers of possible flight cancellations.
Parts of Florida’s eastern coast are already experiencing high waters and tropical storm conditions because of Nicole.
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