What was a rare November hurricane had already led officials to close airports and theme parks and order evacuations that included former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
Authorities warned that Nicole’s storm surge could further erode many beaches hit by Hurricane Ian in September. And the number of power outages continued to rise: About 363,000 Florida homes and businesses were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. Nicole had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph Thursday morning and was centered about 30 miles northeast of Tampa and about 60 miles west-southwest of Orlando, according to the hurricane center. It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph. Vehicles drive through a flooded road after Hurricane Nicole made landfall on November 10, 2022, in Fort Pierce, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Tropical storm-force winds from the widespread storm extended up to 345 miles from the center in some directions. “The center of Nicole will move across central Florida this morning, likely to emerge over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico this afternoon and then move across the Florida Panhandle and Georgia tonight and into Friday,” the hurricane center said. “…Additional weakening is forecast while Nicole moves over land over the next day or two, and the storm is likely to become a tropical depression over Georgia tonight or early Friday. Nicole is expected to merge with a frontal boundary over the Mid-Atlantic United States until Friday night.” Mike’s Weather Page tweeted video of several dramatic scenes, including: Fort Pierce… pic.twitter.com/j5DG1w3SeS — Mike’s Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) November 10, 2022 Melbourne… pic.twitter.com/up3S8yhb1v — Mike’s Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) November 10, 2022 Melbourne… pic.twitter.com/iE4oisBtIJ — Mike’s Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) November 10, 2022 Nicole became a hurricane Wednesday afternoon as it slammed into Grand Bahama Island after making landfall hours earlier on Great Abaco Island as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. It is the first storm to hit the Bahamas since Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that devastated the archipelago in 2019. For storm-weary Floridians, it’s only the third November hurricane to hit their shores since record-keeping began in 1853. The previous ones were Hurricane Yankee in 1935 and Hurricane Kate in 1985. Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s club and home, was in one of the evacuation zones, about a quarter mile inland from the ocean. The main buildings sit on a slight rise about 15 feet above sea level, and the property has survived many stronger hurricanes since it was built nearly a century ago. The resort’s security office hung up on Wednesday when an Associated Press reporter asked if the club had been evacuated. There was no sign of an evacuation as of Wednesday afternoon. There is no penalty for ignoring an evacuation order, but rescue crews will not respond if it puts their members at risk. Officials in Daytona Beach Shores have deemed unsafe at least a half-dozen high-rise, coastal residential buildings already damaged by Hurricane Ian and now threatened by Nicole. In some locations, authorities went door to door telling people to grab their belongings and leave. Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort were closed Wednesday, but said they plan to reopen Thursday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach International Airport was closed Wednesday morning, and Daytona Beach International Airport announced it would suspend operations. It also closed Orlando International Airport, the seventh busiest in the US. Further south, officials said Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport experienced some flight delays and cancellations, but both planned to remain open. At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis said winds were the biggest concern and that major power outages could occur, but that 16,000 linemen were on standby to restore power as well as 600 guards and seven search teams. and rescue. Nicole “will affect huge parts of the state of Florida all day long,” DeSantis said. Nearly two dozen school districts closed schools because of the storm and 15 shelters were open along Florida’s east coast, the governor said. Forty-five of Florida’s 67 counties were under a state of emergency. Warnings and watches were issued for many areas of Florida, including the southwestern Gulf Coast devastated by Hurricane Ian, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm on September 28. The storm destroyed homes and damaged crops, including orange groves, across the state – damage that many are still dealing with. Daniel Brown, senior hurricane specialist at the Miami-based hurricane center, said the storm will affect a large area of ​​Florida. “Because the system is so large, almost the entire east coast of Florida except for the extreme southeast and the Keys will receive tropical storm-force winds,” he said. Early Wednesday, President Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local efforts to deal with the approaching storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is still responding to people who need assistance in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Ian brought a storm surge of up to 13 feet in late September, causing widespread destruction.