Nicole makes landfall on Grand Bahama Island as hurricane as it churns toward Florida - NBC News

Tropical Storm Nicole reached hurricane spot Wednesday erstwhile it made landfall connected Grand Bahama Island connected its mode toward Florida's Atlantic seashore and the Southeastern U.S.

It's expected to marque landfall successful Florida aboriginal Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said successful a 1 a.m. update.

Around 2 a.m. the tempest was astir 15 miles eastbound of Fort Pierce, Florida, and moving northwest astatine 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, according to the hurricane center.

The tempest is forecast to caput into Georgia and the Carolinas aboriginal Thursday and Friday. Heavy amounts of rainfall are expected crossed the region.

Florida, wherever evacuations had been ordered, is expecting tempest surge that could further erode galore beaches that were deed by Hurricane Ian successful September.

President Joe Biden approved national exigency assistance for 45 counties, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Broward, Flagler and Seminole.

Nicole is the 3rd hurricane successful the Atlantic this month, tying the 2001 play for the astir Atlantic hurricanes successful November, according to Phil Klotzbach, an atmospheric subject researcher astatine Colorado State University.

When it made landfall Wednesday evening connected Grand Bahama Island, Nicole had maximum winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

Flights astatine respective airports were canceled up of the storm's arrival. Palm Beach International Airport stopped each flights Wednesday morning, portion Orlando International Airport said it was shutting down each commercialized operations astatine 4 p.m. In Daytona Beach, the airdrome closed astatine 12:30 p.m. and plans to reopen Friday morning.

Meanwhile, airports successful Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville stay open, but they warned travelers to cheque with their airlines for imaginable formation delays oregon cancellations.

More than 500 Florida National Guard members person been activated to assistance with effect efforts.

"These forces are actively pre-staging passim the authorities but volition stay flexible to re-position wherever needed to guarantee a speedy response," the bureau said. "Our forces are prepared to behaviour a assortment of missions to see span introduction power points, postulation power points, hunt and rescue, security, and installation of Tiger Dam systems."

In mentation for the storm, Walt Disney World Resort taxable parks were to person a "phased closure" opening astatine 5 p.m. Wednesday and volition stay closed done Thursday morning. Guests staying astatine Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and astatine Saratoga Springs Resort's Treehouse Villas are besides required to leave, the parkland said, saying it volition assistance radical find alternate accommodations.

The hurricane halfway warned the full authorities to beryllium prepared for dense weather.

"Do not absorption connected the nonstop way of Nicole since it is expected to beryllium a ample tempest with hazards extending good to the northbound of the center, extracurricular of the forecast cone," it said successful a "key messages" bulletin.

"These hazards are apt to impact overmuch of the Florida Peninsula and portions of the Southeast United States," it said.

Hurricane warnings were successful effect overnight for a wide agelong of the state's eastbound enactment — from Boca Raton, northbound of Miami, to the Flagler County line, northbound of Daytona Beach — forecasters said.

In an update Wednesday, Flagler County Emergency Management said evacuation orders for the obstruction islands instrumentality effect astatine 3:30 p.m.

Other warnings impulse residents to hole and evacuate if necessary, arsenic life-threatening conditions were en route, including hurricane-strength winds of 74 mph oregon greater, tempest surges and coastal flooding.

"Preparations to support beingness and spot should beryllium rushed to completion," the hurricane halfway said successful a late-night nationalist advisory.

A tempest surge warning, which forecasts dangerously precocious ocean, wetland and stream waters, was successful effect from North Palm Beach, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, it said.

Forecasters said cardinal and bluish Florida could expect 3 to 5 inches of rain, with 8 inches possible.

Storm surf is apt to impact a agelong long of the coastline, from the eastbound seashore of Florida to the Southeastern U.S., the hurricane halfway said.

"These swells are apt to origin life-threatening surf and rip existent conditions," it said.