Live updates: Hurricane Nicole downgraded; 2 dead in Florida - USA TODAY

2 years ago 44

STUART, Fla. – More than 300,000 homes and businesses crossed cardinal Florida were without powerfulness Thursday arsenic deadly Hurricane Nicole, downgraded to a tropical tempest but inactive ample and dangerous, slammed the region with powerful winds and heavy rain.

The tempest proved deadly Thursday arsenic 2 radical were killed by electrocution erstwhile they touched downed powerfulness lines successful the Orlando area, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. "Never interaction a downed powerfulness line," the sheriff's office said successful a tweet.

The uncommon November hurricane, which made landfall southbound of Vero Beach aboriginal Thursday arsenic a Category 1 storm, was centered astir 45 miles northbound of Tampa at 1 p.m. The National Hurricane Center warned that Nicole would bring heavy downpours, beardown winds, unsafe tempest surge and flooding crossed a swath of the Southeast implicit the adjacent mates of days.

"This is simply a life-threatening situation," wrote Jack Beven, a elder hurricane specializer astatine the hurricane center, successful an advisory. People successful the region, helium said, "should instrumentality each indispensable actions to support beingness and spot from rising h2o and the imaginable for different unsafe conditions."

Tornado watches were issued for parts of Florida and Georgia. St. Augustine, wherever the iconic Bridge of Lions spanning the Intracoastal Waterway was nether siege from Nicole, was concisely nether a tornado informing Thursday morning.

"The metropolis is flooding astatine a accelerated gait and the Bridge of Lions is closed," the metropolis said successful a Twitter post. "There are respective roads that are impassable and closed, much than the accustomed flooded areas."

The tempest washed much oversea turtle eggs ashore crossed the Treasure Coast, conscionable weeks aft Hurricane Ian caused akin harm to nests. Several cracked and breached oversea turtle eggs were recovered washed up with scattered debris on to a woody boardwalk and formation entree Thursday astatine Santa Lucea Beach successful Martin County.

Residents study akin sightings crossed the Treasure Coast, wherever beaches with known turtle nests were wiped retired by the tempest surge and waves. After Hurricane Ian successful September, hundreds of oversea turtle eggs were unearthed and scattered crossed a formation successful Fort Pierce and different Treasure Coast cities.

Some communities were breathing a suspiration of alleviation aft Nicole's halfway rolled through. In Fellsmere, a municipality of 5,000 radical 20 miles northwest of Vero Beach, constabulary said connected Facebook that each streets were unfastened but 1 that was blocked by a fallen tree.

"There is nary large flooding anyplace successful the metropolis and arsenic of the clip of this station nary downed powerfulness lines person been observed," police said.

Janet and Ken Comey of Satellite Beach were among the radical gathered astatine Pelican Beach Park connected Thursday greeting to look astatine the waves during precocious tide. They said they fared good during the storm. The mates moved from New Hampshire to Satellite Beach 3 years ago.

"When we moved here, the archetypal happening we did was enactment successful a full-house generator," Janet Comey said. "We've ne'er had to usage it."

WHAT IS A SUBTROPICAL STORM?: What is simply a subtropical tempest and however is it antithetic from a tropical oregon extratropical system?

What is Nicole's path?

Nicole, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 345 miles, was moving northwest astatine 15 mph, and forecasters predicted a turn toward the north.

"Do not absorption connected the nonstop way of Nicole," senior hurricane specializer Robbie Berg said. "It is simply a ample tempest with hazards extending good to the northbound of the center, extracurricular of the forecast cone."

The halfway of Nicole was inactive forecast to emerge implicit the acold northeastern Gulf of Mexico aboriginal Thursday. The tempest was forecast to then determination crossed the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas into Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Heavy rainfall could flood parts of the region.

Nicole should determination northward into Georgia aboriginal tonight, and past determination done the southeastern United States connected Friday, the hurricane halfway said.

Warnings and watches were issued for galore parts of Florida, including the southwestern Gulf coastline that was devastated by Hurricane Ian erstwhile it slammed done arsenic a Category 4 tempest connected Sept. 28. Ian destroyed homes and damaged crops, including orangish groves, crossed the state – damage that galore are inactive dealing with.

Airports and theme parks person been unopen down, and a swath of evacuations included erstwhile President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

“It volition impact immense parts of the authorities of Florida each day,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

WHAT IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SPEED SCALE? Breaking down the hurricane class scale

100-mph upwind gust detected astatine Kennedy Space Center

Observations coming successful from sensors astir Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39B, wherever the Artemis I rocket is located, look to amusement peak upwind gusts of up to 100 mph were recorded arsenic Hurricane Nicole passed through.

Sensors picked up immoderate of the astir almighty readings from 3 to 5 a.m., but it remains unclear which sensors were liable for the readings. Some, secured to lightning suppression towers that situation the NASA rocket, are located from 130 to 450 feet and could person provided readings higher than what would beryllium experienced person to the ground.

NASA antecedently said the Space Launch System rocket designated to alert the Artemis I ngo to the satellite could grip 85-mph winds astatine the 60-foot level. Agency officials are moving with upwind experts crossed a scope of agencies, including the Space Force, to analyse the tempest and the accuracy of data.

– Emre Kelly, Florida Today

NICOLE COMES TO NASA:The tempest brought powerful winds to NASA's exposed Artemis I rocket

'Nightmare' from Nicole successful Wilbur-by-the-Sea

On Thursday morning, beachfront homeowners successful Wilbur-by-the-Sea, Florida, were facing the nightmare that they had feared arsenic Tropical Storm Nicole approached Volusia and Flagler counties.

“Two of our 3 properties are collapsing into the ocean,” said Krista Goodrich, spot manager for luxury beachfront abrogation homes for Salty Dog Vacations.

“FEMA’s here; the National Guard is here; Sheriff Chitwood is here,” she said. “They’re knocking connected doors, going door-to-door successful Wilbur making everyone permission due to the fact that the water is fundamentally creating sinkholes beneath these houses.”

Seven houses on the agelong of formation already person fallen into the ocean, Goodrich said, citing section officials . “And they expect more,” she said. “It’s going to alteration our scenery forever.”

– Jim Abbott, The Daytona Beach News Journal

Nicole a uncommon November hurricane

Nicole is lone the 3rd November hurricane to deed Florida since recordkeeping began successful 1853. The erstwhile ones were the 1935 "Yankee" Hurricane and Hurricane Kate successful 1985.

Gov. DeSantis says Nicole 'not arsenic important a tempest arsenic Hurricane Ian was'

DeSantis said Thursday that Hurricane Nicole didn’t battalion the aforesaid punch arsenic Ian earlier this year, but Florida officials basal acceptable to cleanable up immoderate messiness Nicole leaves behind.

“This is evidently not arsenic important a tempest arsenic Hurricane Ian was,” DeSantis said, earlier noting that formation erosion is simply a occupation successful immoderate areas.

Storm surge has impacted immoderate structures on the seashore adjacent wherever Nicole made landfall southbound of Vero Beach, particularly successful Volusia County.

Nicole besides is causing flash flooding successful immoderate areas, and astir 3% of the authorities is without power, DeSantis said.

“Impacts person been fundamentally what’s been expected,” the politician added.

DeSantis said 17,000 inferior lineman are connected standby waiting for the tempest to walk truthful they tin reconstruct electricity. The authorities besides mobilized 600 National Guardsmen to assistance with recovery, and 250 crews from the Florida Department of Transportation to inspect and wide roadways and bridges.

“We’re acceptable and we person resources to respond to immoderate post-storm needs whitethorn arise,” DeSantis said.

– Zac Anderson, USA Today Network-Florida

When did Nicole archetypal marque landfall?

As a tropical storm, Nicole made its archetypal landfall astatine 11:55 a.m. Wednesday on Great Abaco Island successful the northwestern Bahamas. The tempest was reported to person maximum sustained winds astatine 70 mph.

Officials successful the Bahamas said that much than 860 radical were successful much than 2 twelve shelters. Extensive flooding, downed trees and powerfulness lines, and h2o outages were reported successful the archipelago’s northwest region.

Nicole strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday and struck Florida with sustained winds of 75 mph, the archetypal hurricane to marque landfall truthful precocious successful the twelvemonth connected the eastbound seashore of Florida.

Where did residents evacuate?

In Florida, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said successful a tweet that tempest surge from Nicole breached the oversea partition on Indian River Drive, which runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. The Martin County Sheriff’s bureau besides said seawater had breached portion of a roadworthy connected Hutchinson Island.

Residents successful respective Florida counties – Flagler, Palm Beach, Martin and Volusia – were ordered to evacuate specified obstruction islands, low-lying areas, and mobile homes. Volusia, location to Daytona Beach, imposed a curfew and warned that intercoastal bridges utilized by evacuees would adjacent erstwhile winds scope 39 mph.

About 400 radical checked successful evacuation centers successful Palm Beach County Wednesday.

Several different communities connected Florida's eastbound seashore were urged oregon 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, successful summation to 7 municipality hunt and rescue teams connected standby.

President Joe Biden approved federal exigency assistance to 45 retired of 67 Florida counties, on with the Miccosukee Tribe and Seminole Tribe.

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What states volition consciousness the effects of Nicole?

Nicole is expected to impact astir of Florida and portions of the southeast portion of the U.S. Nicole's halfway is forecast to determination crossed cardinal and bluish Florida into confederate Georgia connected Thursday night then into the Carolinas connected Friday.

Forecasters predicted tornadoes Wednesday nighttime done Thursday crossed eastbound Florida, southeast Georgia and confederate South Carolina. Heavy rainfall is the main concern, and Nicole could trigger unsafe tempest surge of up to 5 feet successful areas on the Florida and Georgia coasts.

IT CAN BE A DEADLY MISTAKE: Many radical misunderstand this celebrated hurricane forecast graphic.