Central Florida counties have been issued hurricane warnings as Tropical Storm Nicole has turned west and is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
“Anywhere in that area — West Palm Beach, Stuart, Melbourne, up to Daytona Beach — is at risk of hurricane conditions, as we are expecting Nicole to take advantage of this warm water and intensify to a hurricane as it approaches the coast,” acting deputy director of the National Hurricane Center Michael Brennan said in a Facebook broadcast
Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to reach a wind speed of 75 mph once it hits Florida, putting it at the strength of a Category 1 hurricane.
The Hurricane Center also advised residents to “not focus on the exact track of Nicole since it is expected to be a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the center, outside of the forecast cone.”
The storm’s wind field is larger than is typically expected, meaning that no matter where Nicole’s center makes landfall, the entire eastern coast and parts of central Florida will most likely face high winds, heavy rains, and storm surges.
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency across 34 Florida counties on Monday ahead of the storm.
“I urge all Floridians to be prepared and to listen to announcements from local emergency management officials,” said DeSantis on Monday. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.”
Officials throughout the state have encouraged residents to prepare for the storm and three counties have already scheduled school closures. Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade county schools have been closed and school officials are maintaining updates on their websites. Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College have closed for Wednesday and Thursday, including for online students.
Minor flooding has already been reported in parts of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. The rising water levels will continue to increase as Tropical Storm Nicole draws closer.
Florida residents can report price gouging on storm essentials to 866-9NO-SCAM or online at MyFloridaLegal.com.
