Hurricane Nicole to hit Florida with strong winds

Tropical Storm Nicole as it makes its way to Florida, which could strengthen into a hurricane.

Tropical Storm Nicole is currently 270 miles east of Boynton Beach, Fl moving west south west at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Nicole is still expected to strengthen and make landfall overnight tonight on the East Coast of Florida as a hurricane.

Nicole is a large storm with winds extending up to 460 miles from the center and the east coast is already experiencing the outer bands. After landfall Nicole is expected to make a turn to the northwest and move across Central and North Florida Thursday and Thursday night.

Bottom Line:

All tropical storm watches are now tropical storm warnings and the extent of warnings has expanded north and west to include our entire county, additional expansions north and west can’t be ruled out later today, especially if small west trends continue.

The Storm Surge Watch remains unchanged for the possibility of 2-4ft of storm surge inundation. The likelihood we observe these values will increase with any westward shifts that brings Nicole into the Gulf. A track inland up the Florida Peninsula would lower the threat for storm surge. Surge potential will be highest Thursday night into Friday morning.

Overview:

1. Nicole is forecast to reach the Florida east coast late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

2. There is currently a 4 in 10 chance of sustained TS Force winds for parts of Wakulla County Thursday and Thursday night. These probabilities have remained approximately the same with this update.

3. While tropical storm force winds could begin as early as Wednesday night along the Florida big bend coast, they are most likely to begin on Thursday. In addition, breezy conditions with gusts of 20-30 mph are forecast for Wednesday.

4. Storm surge impacts will depend heavily on the track of the system. A track farther west could increase impacts for Apalachee Bay, while a track further east would result in offshore flow with minimal surge impacts.

5. While some localized heavy rainfall amounts could occur, the recent dry conditions are expected to limit the threat for significant flooding. Rainfall amounts will generally be around 2 to 4 inches east of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee rivers with localized higher amounts.