Tropical Storm Nicole, which is forecast to become a Category 1 hurricane, hit the Bahamas just before noon on Wednesday, November 9. Nicole is expected to hit Florida Wednesday night.
According to Florida Today, the storm surge from Nicole "threatens to become the most damaging aspect of the storm for the Space Coast, given the forecast and Hurricane Ian's swipe of Brevard County six weeks ago."
Forecasters are predicting that the center of the storm will make landfall south of Brevard County likely in Martin or St. Lucie County before moving northwest up the state.The National Weather Service said surge potential could be 3-5 feet above ground within surge-prone areas, which is much of Brevard County's beach side.
According to Florida Today, "regional water mangers assure there's plenty of space to store floodwaters in the St. John River's upper basin, to prevent widespread or severe flooding from the river."
Hurricane warnings are in place from the coast of Volusia-Flagler county line to south to Boca Raton with thousands of residents under evacuation orders.
If Nicole turns into a hurricane, the storm would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in November in nearly 40 years, CNN reported. Tropical Storm Nicole is also hitting as some areas are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which made initial landfall on September 27 in Cuba before hitting west of Fort Myers, Florida ,on September 28.
"We have seen a little natural recovery since Ian and that has helped during the last few days of windy weather but the south beaches remain eroded and I expect Nicole to have significant impact," Mike McGarry, beach renourishment coordinator for the Brevard County Natural Resources Management Office, just said Tuesday via email to Florida Today.
In response, President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for Florida that opens federal assistance for emergency response in 45 of the state’s 67 counties, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Additionally, Governor Ron DeSantis authorized the activation of 570 Guardsmen in the Florida National Guard.
