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More than 240,000 homes and businesses across central Florida were without power Thursday as Hurricane Nicole, downgraded to a tropical storm but still large and dangerous, slammed the region with powerful winds and heavy rain.
The rare November hurricane, which made landfall south of Vero Beach on Thursday as a Category 1 storm, was centered about 30 miles southwest of Orlando at 7 a.m. The National Hurricane Center warned that Nicole would bring heavy downpours, strong winds, dangerous storm surge and flooding across a swath of the Southeast over the next couple days.
“This is a life-threatening situation,” wrote Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the hurricane center, in an advisory. People in the region, he said, “should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions.”
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia. Still, some communities were breathing a sigh of relief after Nicole’s center rolled through. In Fellsmere, a town of 5,000 people 20 miles northwest of Vero Beach, police said on Facebook that all streets were open except one that was blocked by a fallen tree.
“There is no major flooding anywhere in the city and as of the time of this post no downed power lines have been observed,” police said.
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What is Nicole’s path?
Nicole, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 450 miles, was moving west-northwest at 14 mph, and forecasters predicted a turn toward the north.
“Do not focus on the exact track of Nicole,” said senior hurricane specialist Robbie Berg. “It is a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the center, outside of the forecast cone.”
The center of Nicole was forecast to emerge over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico later Thursday. The storm was forecast to then move across the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas into Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Heavy rain could flood parts of the region.
Warnings and watches were issued for many parts of Florida, including the southwestern Gulf coastline that was devastated by Hurricane Ian when it slammed through as a Category 4 storm Sept. 28. Ian destroyed homes and damaged crops, including orange groves, across the state – damage that many are still dealing with.
Airports and theme parks have been shut down an a swath of evacuations included former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
“It will affect huge parts of the state of Florida all day,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
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When did Nicole first make landfall?
As a tropical storm, Nicole made its first landfall at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas. The storm was reported to have maximum sustained winds at 70 mph.
Officials in the Bahamas said that more than 860 people were in more than two dozen shelters. Extensive flooding, downed trees and power and water outages were reported in the archipelago’s northwest region.
Nicole strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and struck Florida with sustained winds of 75 mph, the first hurricane to make landfall so late in the year on the east coast of Florida.
Where did residents evacuate?
In Florida, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet that storm surge from Nicole breached the sea wall along Indian River Drive, which runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. The Martin County Sheriff’s office also said seawater had breached part of a road on Hutchinson Island.
Residents in several Florida counties – Flagler, Palm Beach, Martin and Volusia – were ordered to evacuate such barrier islands, low-lying areas, and mobile homes. Volusia, home to Daytona Beach, imposed a curfew and warned that intercoastal bridges used by evacuees would close when winds reach 39 mph.
About 400 people checked in evacuation centers in Palm Beach County Wednesday.
Several other communities on Florida’s east coast were urged or ordered to evacuate. DeSantis announced that 15 shelters were being opened along the state’s coast. He said the Florida National Guard has activated 600 guardsmen, in addition to seven urban search and rescue teams on standby.
President Joe Biden approved federal emergency aid to 45 out of 67 Florida counties, along with the Miccosukee Tribe and Seminole Tribe.
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What states will feel the effects of Nicole?
Nicole is expected to affect most of Florida and portions of the southeast region of the U.S. Nicole’s center is forecast to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday night then into the Carolinas on Friday.
Forecasters predicted tornadoes Wednesday night through Thursday across eastern Florida, southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. Heavy rainfall is the main concern, and Nicole could trigger dangerous storm surge of up to 5 feet in areas along the Florida and Georgia coasts.
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What damage could Nicole do?
DeSantis said Floridians should expect power outages. About 16,000 line workers are prepared for power restoration efforts.
At least half a dozen multi-story, coastal residential buildings in Daytona Beach Shores that were already damaged by Hurricane Ian are being threatened by Nicole, according to local officials.
Hurricane Nicole tracker
Contributing: The Associated Press
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