ORLANDO, Fla. – Nicole is forecast to strike Florida as a hurricane late Wednesday or early Thursday, but the vast storm on Tuesday afternoon was already spinning downpours into Central Florida.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Nicole was about 300 miles northeast of the northwestern Bahamas, moving west at 9 mph with sustained winds of 60 mph.
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Nicole is forecast to become a Category 1 storm (74-95 mph winds) before hitting Florida’s east coast, possibly near Brevard County. The precise strength and location of the storm is unknown.
What is known is that rain will continue to fall in Central Florida for the next couple of days.
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If Nicole hits Florida as a hurricane, it would mark the third time in recorded history (dating back to the late 1800s) that a hurricane made landfall in the Sunshine State in November.
Already some very gusty downpours in Central Florida WAY out ahead of #Nicole
— Jonathan Kegges (@JonathanKegges) November 8, 2022
Tropical storm force winds extend an eye-popping 380 miles from the center. Preps along the coast should be complete this evening as winds will likely be too strong tomorrow.
— Jonathan Kegges (@JonathanKegges) November 8, 2022
IF Nicole does make landfall as a hurricane, it would only be the THIRD time in history (late 1800s) a hurricane made landfall in Florida in November. There have been 12 tropical storms. Most recent is Eta in 2020. pic.twitter.com/fP4KtOrzUN
— Jonathan Kegges (@JonathanKegges) November 7, 2022