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Friday, March 29, 2024

Tropical Storm Nicole nears hurricane strength with 70 mph winds

Tropical Storm Nicole is nearing hurricane strength as the storm approaches the east coast of Florida.

As of 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the center of the storm was located approximately 60 miles to the east-northeast of Great Abaco Island and around 240 miles to the east of West Palm Beach, according to an update from the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical Storm Nicole November 9 2022 7 a.m. update from National Hurricane Center
Tropical Storm Nicole’s projected path as of 7 a.m. on Wednesday (Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center)

Nicole currently has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour with higher gusts, which is just four miles per hour away from reaching hurricane strength. A storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane when it reaches wind speeds of 74 to 95 mph.

Nicole is moving to the west-southwest at a speed of 13 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center anticipates that Nicole will turn toward the west today, followed by a turn toward the northwest on Thursday, and then to the north or north-northeast on Friday.

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will approach the northwest Bahamas this morning, move near or over those islands by the middle of the day, and approach Florida’s east coast within the hurricane warning area this evening.

Nicole’s center is then expected to travel across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday and Thursday night before moving across the Carolinas on Friday.

The National Hurricane Center states that Nicole is expected to strengthen into a hurricane when it reaches the northwestern Bahamas, and the storm is expected to remain a hurricane when it reaches the east coast of Florida tonight.

As Nicole moves across Florida and the southeastern United States on Thursday and into Friday, the storm will weaken, and it is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday evening when it passes over the mid-Atlantic states.

Nicole is a large tropical storm with tropical storm-force winds extending outward up to 460 miles of the center, especially to the north. According to a National Ocean Service station at the Lake Worth Pier in Florida, sustained winds of 44 mph and wind gusts of up to 55 mph have been reported during the last few hours.

Marion County is under a Tropical Storm Watch, which means that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) will be possible in the area. The impact of Nicole is expected to be felt in Marion County beginning today, and that impact will likely continue through Friday, November 11.

Marion County Emergency Management officials are encouraging all residents to sign up for the emergency notification system ‘Alert Marion.’ Those who sign up will receive text message alerts, emails, and phone calls regarding severe weather in the area.