At least 2 reported dead as Nicole weakens after striking Florida's east coast as the first US hurricane in November in nearly 40 years - CNN

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At slightest 2 radical person died during the harm wrought by Nicole’s overnight landfall Thursday on Florida’s eastbound shore, which knocked retired powerfulness to thousands, pushed buildings adjacent illness and flooded the seashore arsenic the archetypal hurricane to deed the United States successful November successful astir 40 years.

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Two radical were “electrocuted by a downed powerfulness line” successful Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said successful a property release.

A tornado threat, positive almighty upwind and dense rain, are expected to proceed Thursday successful parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina aft Nicole, which deed astatine Category 1 strength, weakened to a tropical depression. All tropical tempest and tempest surge warnings person nevertheless been discontinued.

Meanwhile, communities are assessing the damage.

At slightest 49 beachfront buildings including 24 hotels and condos person been deemed “unsafe” pursuing Hurricane Nicole successful Volusia County, officials said successful a property release. “The structural harm on our coastline is unprecedented,” region manager George Recktenwald said successful the release. “We person ne'er experienced thing similar this before, truthful we inquire for your patience arsenic we marque our assessments.

An further 11 structures connected Daytona Beach shores person already been deemed compromised, according to Recktenwald.

Volusia County officials person “declared a curfew successful incorporated and unincorporated areas eastbound of the Intracoastal Waterway from 11:22 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, done 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11,” said a Volusia County tempest update.

Two 100 residents were housed successful region shelters, said the update. Three shelters stay open. Roughly 23,000 customers are without powerfulness successful the county, according to PowerOutage.us.

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In Indian River County, officials Thursday greeting volition “be assessing debris and messaging cleanup plans,” said spokesperson Kathy Copeland. In St. Lucie County, determination were truthful acold “no superior reports of damages oregon injuries,” spokesperson Erick Gill said, adding, “Most apt the biggest interaction is going to beryllium formation erosion.”

At 10 p.m. ET Thursday, Nicole was packing 35-mph sustained winds and centered astir 20 miles northbound of Tallahassee, moving northwest astatine 15 mph.

Up to 8 inches of rainfall could drench eastern, cardinal and bluish portions of Florida done Saturday. And betwixt 2 to 6 inches are expected from parts of the US southeast to the confederate and cardinal Appalachians and occidental mid-Atlantic, the hurricane halfway said.

Nicole weakened to a tropical tempest soon aft landfall, and past became a slump precocious Thursday. It’s expected to go a post-tropical cyclone implicit the Southeast.

Here’s what to cognize now:

Residents extracurricular Florida should present prepare: There are astir 3 cardinal radical nether a tornado ticker issued for southeast Georgia, eastbound and confederate South Carolina and portions of acold confederate North Carolina. “Given the uncertainty of the storm’s spot and way arsenic it approaches South Carolina, residents request to person their idiosyncratic exigency plans acceptable to spell conscionable successful lawsuit we request to instrumentality information precautions aboriginal successful the week,” said Kim Stenson, who heads the state’s exigency absorption division.

Tens of thousands without power: More than 237,000 homes and businesses successful Florida were without powerfulness precocious Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.

Low tide limits tempest surge: Nicole’s highest winds coincided with debased tide, limiting the tempest surge and inundation connected the shore. At Port Canaveral, the surge was measured astatine conscionable nether 6 feet astir 4 a.m. ET, conscionable aft landfall. Later Thursday morning, surge was down to astir 3 feet, but h2o levels are expected to stay precocious done precocious tide, betwixt 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

King Tide puts structures astatine risk: The King Tide that affected Volusia County Thursday greeting “is of large interest for perchance further harm to structures,” said officials with Volusia County Emergency Management. King Tides is simply a term utilized to picture higher than normal tidal cycles that typically hap during a caller satellite oregon a afloat satellite erstwhile the satellite makes its closest walk to the Earth. When they coincide with atrocious upwind including dense rain, winds and waves, they tin origin terrible flooding. Because of rising oversea levels, King Tides are becoming much predominant and severe.

Flights canceled and schools closed: The storm’s colossal way led to the closure of galore schools, colleges and universities, arsenic good arsenic the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the shuttering of amusement parks. Orlando International Airport halted operations Wednesday afternoon, and Miami International Airport warned of cancellations but did not program to close.

Historic hurricane: Nicole’s landfall Thursday was the latest successful a calendar twelvemonth a hurricane has ever struck Florida’s Atlantic coast. It broke the grounds acceptable by the Yankee Hurricane, which deed Florida’s eastbound seashore connected November 4, 1935.

Where the tempest hit: The tempest struck conscionable southbound of Vero Beach with winds of 75 mph earlier rapidly weakening, the National Hurricane Center said. Its beardown winds, downpours and storm surge thrashed immoderate areas deed successful September by Hurricane Ian. Nicole connected Wednesday brought beardown winds and unsafe tempest surge to the northwestern Bahamas.