Nicole no longer forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane. It weakened to a tropical storm on Thursday

Article first published: Thursday, November 10, 2022, 4 am EST

Article last updated: Thursday, November 10, 2022, 4 pm EST

According to the National Hurricane Center’s 4 pm Thursday advisory, Nicole, previously located in the Atlantic Ocean, made landfall on the coast of Florida. The Category 1 hurricane system lost strength Nicole was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm. The system has moved with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. Tropical Storm Nicole is 95 miles southeast of Tallahassee Florida and, 105 miles north-northwest of Tampa Florida, with maximum sustained wind of 45 mph. It’s moving 15 mph to the northwest.

"Nicole is expected to accelerate north-northeastward on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move along the coast of the Florida Big Bend region for the next several hours before moving across the eastern Florida Panhandle. Little change in strength is expected this evening while the center moves along the coast of the Florida Big Bend." forecasters noted. "Nicole is expected to weaken to a depression over Georgia tonight, and then it is expected to dissipate as it merges with a frontal boundary over the Mid-Atlantic United States by Friday night."

YESTERDAY (Wednesday):

Nicole left The Bahamas and headed to the Atlantic Ocean, with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour yesterday (Wednesday). A tropical storm warning has been issued by forecasters for the west coast of Florida, portions of the Georgia and South Carolina Coasts.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

The Tropical Storm Warning has been discontinued along the Florida east coast south of the Flagler/Volusia county line, and along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina north of Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

The Tropical Storm Warning for the Florida west coast has been discontinued south of Aripeka.

The Storm Surge Warning has been discontinued for the Florida east coast south of the Flagler/Volusia County Line.

The Storm Surge Watch has been discontinued from the South Santee River South Carolina to the Altamaha Sound Georgia and from the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass Florida.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

- The Flagler/Volusia county line Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia

- Aripeka to Indian Pass Florida

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for:

- Flagler/Volusia County Line Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia

- Mouth of the St. Johns River to Georgetown Florida

- Anclote River Florida to Ochlockonee River Florida

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other instructions from local officials.

Interests in the remainder of Florida and along the southeastern coast of the United States should monitor the progress of Nicole.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND:

WIND: Tropical storm conditions will continue along portions of the east coast of Florida and Georgia in the warning areas this evening. Tropical storm conditions are expected to occur within the warning area along the west coast of Florida through tonight.

STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

* Flagler/Volusia County Line Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia including the St. Johns River...2 to 4 ft * Anclote River to Ochlockonee River...2 to 4 ft * Altamaha Sound Georgia to the Savannah River...1 to 3 ft * Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass...1 to 2 ft * Englewood to Anclote River including Tampa Bay...1 to 2 ft * North of Ocean Reef to Flagler/Volusia County Line Florida including Biscayne Bay...1 to 2 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

RAINFALL: Nicole is expected to produce the following rainfall amounts through Saturday:

* Northwest Bahamas and the Florida Peninsula: An inch or less of additional rainfall. * Eastern Florida Panhandle and Florida Big Bend into the Southeast, southern and central Appalachians, eastern and central portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio: 2 to 4 inches with local maxima of 6 to 8 inches along the Blue Ridge. * Northern Mid-Atlantic into New England: 1 to 4 inches.

Flash and urban flooding will be possible, along with renewed river rises on the St. Johns River, across the Florida Peninsula today. Heavy rainfall from this system will spread northward across portions of the Southeast, upper Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and New England through Saturday, where limited flooding impacts will be possible.

For the latest rainfall reports and wind gusts associated with Hurricane Nicole, see the companion storm summary at WBCSCCNS2 with the WMO header ACUS42 KWBC or at the following link: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc2.html

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible this afternoon through tonight over parts of southeastern Georgia, eastern South Carolina, and southeastern North Carolina. The threat will spread northward into Virginia and more of North Carolina during the day on Friday.

SURF: Large swells generated by Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern United States coast during the next few days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Source: National Hurricane Center

This article was generated by the Miami Herald Bot, artificial intelligence software that analyzes information from the National Hurricane Center and applies it to templates created by journalists in the newsroom. We are experimenting with this and other new ways of providing more useful content to our readers and subscribers. You can report errors or bugs to mcclatchybot@mcclatchy.com. Full hurricane coverage at miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/