Nicole makes landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane

Large waves hit the Anglin Fishing Pier in Lauderdale-by-Sea on November 9.
Large waves hit the Anglin Fishing Pier in Lauderdale-by-Sea on November 9. (Joe Redel/Getty Images)

Tropical Storm Nicole, now centered in central Florida, continued to bring heavy rain, as well as dangerous storm surge, to large areas.

The National Hurricane Center said Nicole’s winds were now down to 60 mph from 75 mph at landfall and were concentrated about 30 miles southwest of Orlando around 7 a.m. ET.

The hurricane center said it had a strong wind field — the tropical storm’s winds stretched out as much as 450 miles.

As for storm surge: About 5.8 feet of onshore inundation was recorded in Port Canaveral, Florida, around 4 a.m. ET, just after landfall, according to NOAA. The peak winds, and therefore the surge, coincided with the low tide in the area, which occurred around 2.30am – which limited the surge.

Although the winds have weakened and the storm surge has now dropped to around 3 feet, coastal water levels in the region are expected to remain elevated for some time as high tide (occurring between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.) is approaching. The Hurricane Center has been forecasting a broad area of ​​3 to 5 feet of storm surge north of the storm’s location on Florida’s east coast, with a potential peak of 6 feet.

Here are the watches and warnings that are still in effect as of 7AM ET:

Tropical Storm Warnings apply to:

  • Jupiter in Florida to South Santi River in South Carolina
  • North of Bonita Beach to Indian Pass, Florida
  • lake okeechobee

Storm surge warnings apply to:

  • Jupiter’s Inlet in Florida to Altamaha Strait in Georgia
  • Mouth of the Sage Johns River to Georgetown, FL
  • Anclote River, Florida to Oaklockney River, Florida

Storm surge watch applies to:

  • Oak Lockney River to Indian Pass, Florida
  • Altamaha Strait, Georgia to South Santee River, South Carolina

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