Forecasters tell us there is still a slight tornado risk for the Lowcountry. A tornado watch will be in effect until 1 a.m. on Friday and includes Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Orangeburg and Williamsburg counties. Earlier in the day, a tornado warning ended for Colleton and Dorchester counties. A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was spotted at 5:17 p.m. near Knightsville, moving northwest at 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The warning ended at 5:45 p.m A tropical storm warning ended for Charleston, Berkeley and coastal Colleton counties Thursday afternoon. However, waters off the coast from Jasper County to the Charleston-Georgetown line remain under a tropical storm warning. SEVERE WEATHER THREAT// The Storm Prediction Center has issued a 2 out of 5 severe weather threat tonight through early tomorrow morning. The main threat will be isolated tornadoes due to bands of rain moving inland around the weakened Nicole. @live5news is watching and will keep you posted. pic.twitter.com/RN68ediwyB — Bill Walsh (@BILLWALSHTV) November 10, 2022 Click here to download the free Live 5 First Alert Weather app. Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine says tropical storm gusts are possible Wednesday through Friday. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form, but does not indicate that actual tornadoes have been identified. Tropical Storm Nicole has led to many houses collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean. Nicole made landfall as a hurricane early Thursday near Vero Beach, Florida, but the brunt of the damage was along the East Coast north of there in the Daytona Beach area. Its destructive coastal surge hit beachfront properties in Daytona Beach Shores that lost their last protection during Hurricane Ian. Live 5’s weather team has declared Thursday and Friday First Weather Alert Days due to potential impacts from the storm. Sovine says coastal flooding is possible through Friday around high tide with possible beach erosion and high surf. Sovine said heavy rain could be possible with rainfall totals between one and four inches. Tornadoes were possible through Friday, and winds could occasionally reach or exceed 40 mph near the coast. Nicole became the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season on Monday. Nicole is projected to continue to weaken as the center follows Georgia and the Carolinas Friday. (Live 5) As of 7 p.m., Nicole remained a tropical storm centered near latitude 30 north and longitude 83.8 west, about 40 miles southeast of Tallahassee. The storm was moving northwest at 15 mph and its estimated minimum central pressure is 990 mb or 29.24 inches. Forecasters say a turn to the northwest and north-northwest is expected later Thursday and Thursday night, followed by an acceleration to the north and north-northeast on Friday. On the forecast track, Nicole’s center will move into central Florida this morning, likely emerge over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico Monday afternoon, and then move across the Florida and Georgia plate Thursday night and on Friday. Nicole is still a major tropical storm, but maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 45 mph with higher gusts. Tropical Storm Warnings are now in effect for Charleston, Berkeley, Coastal Colleton and Beaufort counties. Tropical storm force gusts (40+mph) are possible today through Friday near the coast. pic.twitter.com/VOkWBvcYTx — Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) November 9, 2022 City of Charleston officials say they will be keeping a close eye on the tropical storm. Crews have already begun preparing for potential storm impacts. “Residents are asked to monitor reliable local weather reports over the next several days,” Emergency Management Director Ben Almquist said in a news release. “Should adverse conditions arise, citizens are advised to follow the instructions of Emergency Management officials and, as always, motorists should avoid driving through water when encountered.” The city’s stormwater department has prepared temporary pumps for low-lying areas. Crews will also clear ditches and drains in flood-prone areas. To find out how you can help, visit the Adopt-A-Drain website by clicking here. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30.
Widespread Tropical Storm Nicole drenches Florida, Georgia
Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach as a Category 1 hurricane at about 3 a.m. Thursday, more than a hundred miles south of Daytona Beach, before maximum sustained winds dropped to 60 mph, the Miami-based center said. The storm was centered about 30 miles southeast of Orlando. It was moving west-northwest near 14 mph. Robbie Berg, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami advised people to understand that the risks from Tropical Storm Nicole “will be present across the state of Florida today.” Nicole came could briefly emerge over the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Mexico Thursday afternoon before moving over the Florida Panhandle and Georgia, he said. The storm left southern Florida sunny and calm as it moved north, but could drop up to 6 inches of rain over the Blue Ridge Mountains by Friday, according to the hurricane center. Nicole became a hurricane Wednesday night as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island. It was the first to hit the Bahamas since Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that devastated the archipelago in 2019. For storm-weary Floridians, it’s just the third November hurricane to hit their shores since record-keeping began in 1853. The previous ones were Yankee Hurricane in 1935 and Hurricane Kate in 1985. Copyright 2022 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
