Nicole Is Expected To Strengthen Into A Hurricane

Subtropical cyclone Nicole is expected to strengthen into a Category-1 hurricane on Wednesday and hit Florida’s east coast early Thursday. Hurricane conditions are expected to impact the coast of southeast and east-central Florida beginning late Wednesday.

As of 10 am ET this morning, subtropical cyclone Nicole has officially transformed into a tropical storm. As of Tuesday evening, due to model uncertainty, meteorologists predict that the storm could make landfall anywhere along the coast of eastern Florida, from Cape Canaveral to Miami.

“Nicole is expected to weaken as it moves inland over Florida and head northeastward over the southeastern United States, where it could bring heavy rain to Georgia and South Carolina,” says Currently’s Chief Meteorologist, Megan Montero.

The storm is expected to reduce to an extra tropical cyclone, and dissipate, by the weekend.

“The main difference between a tropical and subtropical storm is not in the winds that they generate, but that a tropical storm tends to generate more rain,” says Montero.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for Florida’s east coast — from the Brevard-Volusia county line, south to Hallandale Beach — as a subtropical storm, Nicole developed Monday morning in the Atlantic Ocean. A tropical storm watch has also been issued for northeastern Florida, southeastern Florida, and southeastern Georgia.

There will be heavy rainfall through Thursday across the Florida peninsula, as well as flash and urban flooding. Dangerous storm surge, accompanied by large and damaging waves,is also possible across the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida and areas of coastal Georgia, according to Montero.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted at least four more hurricanes will form before the season officially ends on Nov. 30. The next named storm to form would be Owen.

For regular updates about Nicole and the 2022 hurricane season, subscribe to our Currently in the Atlantic newsletter. Tune into our Twitter space tomorrow at 7 pm ET for updates from Currently meteorologists and hurricane experts.