Hurricane Nicole came as a complete surprise because of how uncommon hurricanes in November are. Most Floridians were still picking up the pieces after Hurricane Ian's devastation when Mother Nature sent a reminder that hurricane season isn't over just yet. Last night's landfall of Hurricane Nicole in Florida resulted in its rapid downgrade to a tropical storm, but not before it had killed two people from a fallen powerline and wreaked further havoc.
As of early Thursday morning, more than 335,000 buildings across Florida were without electricity. Brevard, Clay, Seminole, St. John's, Putnam, and Franklin counties have all been advised to evacuate, while Flagler and Volusia counties have been told to do so by law. Governor De Santis declared a state of emergency for all 67 counties. There is a tropical storm watch in effect from Sebastian Inlet in Florida to the South Santee River in South Carolina.
“Given the uncertainty of the storm’s strength and path as it approaches South Carolina, residents need to have their personal emergency plans ready to go just in case we need to take safety precautions later in the week,” said Kim Stenson, director of the state emergency management division.
Up to 8 inches of rain may fall in eastern, central, and northern Florida by Saturday. In addition, the hurricane center projects total rainfall amounts of 2-6 inches across the southeastern United States, the southern and central Appalachians, and the western mid-Atlantic.
It was shocking that Hurricane Nicole followed so closely on the heels of Ian. After nearly four decades, Hurricane Nicole made landfall in the United States. Though hurricanes are not uncommon in Florida, only two hurricanes (the Yankee Hurricane in 1935 and Hurricane Kate in 1985) have made landfall in the state during the month of November since records have been kept.
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While Nicole was not nearly as deadly or destructive as Ian, it is clear from a perusal of social media early this morning that she still caused significant damage. One resident recorded the moment her above-ground pool emerged from the ground due to the storm surge she experienced.
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