Tropical Storm Nicole expected to strike Florida overnight as hurricane

Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday, with top winds holding steady at 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

High winds and heavy rain started to pound South Florida Wednesday morning, as the storm neared the state and threatened to achieve hurricane strength.

The edge of the storm’s vast wind field reached Florida’s southeast coast as the region started to shut down in preparation for a strike by a rare November hurricane. At highest risk is the region from northern Palm Beach County through the Melbourne area.

“We’re seeing tropical-force winds and storm surge inundation along much of Florida’s east coast,” said Michael Brennan, acting deputy director of the National Hurricane Center. “All the way from Palm Beach to Daytona Beach, Flagler Beach and St. Augustine. So the impacts from Nicole are starting right now.”

[ MAP: Here’s the updated forecast track of potential Hurricane Nicole ]

The area at greatest risk starts in northern Palm Beach County and goes north, the National Weather Service said. Hurricane-force winds could hit that area around 9 p.m. Wednesday.

“Confidence is generally increasing in the expected area of greatest impacts, which is from Palm Beach County north through the Treasure and Space coasts,” the weather service said.

Tropical-force winds, which means winds of at least 39 mph, should die down in Palm Beach and Broward counties by Thursday morning.

Palm Beach International Airport closed to all traffic and is shutting down the terminal. A mandatory evacuation order took effect in Palm Beach County for coastal communities and other vulnerable areas. Schools closed throughout South Florida.

Although the storm is expected to run into dry air, which typically weakens such systems, it’s still expected to reach hurricane strength Wednesday as it crosses the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said.

Nicole’s winds held at 70 mph Wednesday morning, with the storm expected to reach Florida’s east coast as a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds Wednesday night or early Thursday, according to the 10 a.m. Wednesday update from the National Hurricane Center.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said 600 Florida National Guard members have been activated and several search-and-rescue teams placed on standby.

DeSantis urged residents to obey evacuation orders and closely follow weather forecasts.

He warned that the exact storm track “can be dynamic … so pay attention.”

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the storm was about 210 miles east of West Palm Beach, moving west at 12 mph, according to the hurricane center. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 460 miles from Nicole’s center. A hurricane warning is in effect from Boca Raton north to the Flagler/Volusia county line.

Tropical storm conditions have begun along the east coast of Florida in the warning areas, and hurricane conditions are expected beginning Wednesday evening or overnight in the areas where the hurricane warning is in effect.

Ana Torres-Vazquez, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said the storm is so large that the precise point of landfall is less important, with all of South Florida at risk of high winds and storm surge.

“Sometime late night Wednesday into Thursday during the day will be the main period of the event,” she said. “But conditions will gradually deteriorate. We’ve already seen conditions that are windy and breezy. [By Wednesday,] you’ll see that slow uptick in wind speeds and that gradual rise in dangerous rain conditions.”

Palm Beach County ordered the evacuation of zones A and B, which includes barrier islands, low-lying areas and mobile home communities, County Mayor Robert Weinroth said at a 2 p.m. news conference. Residents can check their evacuation zone here.

The evacuations, which are effective at 7 a.m. Wednesday, apply to about 52,000 residents of mobile homes throughout the county and 67,000 coastal residents, Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker said.

“We saw what happened in Lee County,” Weinroth said, referring to the storm surge from Hurricane Ian that drowned coastal residents. “There were people who stayed put because they felt that there was not an emergency, and a lot of those people regretted their decision.”

At Meadowbrooke Mobile Home Park in West Palm Beach, some residents were surprised to hear they were being ordered to evacuate. Some planned to leave, others hadn’t made up their minds.

“It is scary,” said Ashley Flores, 15, whose family had not evacuated in her 10 years there and remained on the fence about leaving. “But we’re just letting it play out however it goes.”

[ RELATED: Subtropical Storm Nicole closures & cancellations: Everything you need to know ]

Jessica Mayouin, 21, said she and her three family members who live with her may decide to stay at a relative’s home in the county rather than staying in their manufactured home.

“This is very weak,” she said of their trailer.

Esmeralda Gomez, who lives in the mobile home community with her children and extended family, said she and her family will likely go to a hotel to wait out the storm.

“I feel like it’s safer for the kids,” she said.

Public schools will be closed Wednesday in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and Wednesday and Thursday in Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach County announced that several shelters will open at 7 a.m. Wednesday at seven schools: Independence Middle School, Palm Beach Gardens High School, Palm Beach Central High School, Park Vista High School, Lake Shore Middle School, Pahokee Middle-Senior High and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School. There is a pet-friendly shelter at West Boynton Recreation Center.

A hurricane warning was issued Tuesday from Palm Beach County through Volusia County. A hurricane warning means winds of 74 mph or greater are expected within 36 hours.

“Anywhere in that area — West Palm Beach, Stuart, Melbourne, up to Daytona Beach — is at risk of hurricane conditions, as we are expecting Nicole to take advantage of this warm water and intensify to a hurricane as it approaches the coast,” Michael Brennan, acting deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said in a Facebook broadcast.

Under the storm’s current track, the highest threat in South Florida is to northeastern Palm Beach County, according to the National Weather Service.

“Damaging hurricane force winds expected in portions of coastal Palm Beach County (east of I-95) Wednesday night/pre-dawn Thursday,” the weather service said. “Damaging tropical storm force winds expected over most of the remainder of Palm Beach County, as well as parts of Broward County mainly near and along the coast.”

Nicole is expected to reach a top wind speed of 75 mph by the time it approaches Florida, putting the storm at Category 1 hurricane strength.

After approaching Florida on Wednesday night or early Thursday, Nicole will move across central and northern Florida and into southern Georgia on Thursday and Thursday night, the center’s latest advisory said.

“Life-threatening” storm surge is possible along the Broward and Palm Beach county coasts, the National Weather Service said. Storm surge, the wind-driven rise in sea levels that accounted for many of the deaths when Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf coast in September, could reach 2 to 4 feet in South Florida and be “accompanied by “large and destructive waves,” the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm’s wind field, shown on the hurricane center’s map in dark yellow, is unusually large, which means that wherever Nicole’s center strikes, the entire east coast of Florida is likely to face high winds, heavy rain and storm surge.

“Do not focus on the exact track of Nicole since it is expected to be a large storm with hazards extending well to the north of the center, outside of the forecast cone,” the hurricane center said at 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency in 34 Florida counties, including Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, on Monday.

Florida Division of Emergency Management officials advise to stock up on a week’s worth of non-perishable packaged and canned foods and beverages, one gallon of water per person per day, non-electric can openers, paper and plastic utensils, pet food and supplies, gasoline, first-aid supplies, medications, cell phone chargers, batteries, flashlights and cash and to secure important documents.

[ RELATED: Here are the essential hurricane supplies you should keep on hand ]

Eric Silagy, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light Company, cautioned that the storm will cause power outages as trees and vegetation that were weakened during recent Hurricane Ian get knocked down.

“It is very likely that we will see outages from the storm,” Silagy said.

A storm surge watch has been extended west along the panhandle from the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass. Storm surge watches are in place from south of North Palm Beach to Hallandale Beach, from the Anclote River to the Ochlockonee River and from Altamaha Sound in Georgia to the South Santee River in South Carolina. Storm surge warnings are in effect for North Palm Beach to Altamaha Sound and the mouth of the St. Johns River to Georgetown in Florida.

South Florida will see the heaviest of any rainfall from the storm between Wednesday and Thursday, according to the weather service. Between 4 and 6 inches are expected in parts of Palm Beach County and Broward County, though higher amounts in some areas are possible.

“The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” the hurricane center’s latest advisory said.

From Hallandale Beach to North Palm Beach, storm surge could reach 2 to 4 feet and 1 to 2 feet from north of Ocean Reef to Hallandale Beach, including Biscayne Bay. From North Palm Beach to Altamaha Sound, storm surge could reach 3 to 5 feet, the center’s latest advisory said.

Some tornadoes may be possible in eastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina late Wednesday night through Friday, the hurricane center said.

[ STAY UPDATED with the latest forecast for tropical weather at SunSentinel.com/hurricane ]

Forecasters are also monitoring a stormy area of low pressure located 950 miles west-southwest of the Azores Islands in the central Atlantic Tuesday night. Forecasters said it is expected to merge with a cold front Wednesday and has low odds of developing in the next five days.

There have been two major hurricanes, meaning Category 3 or above, so far this season: Fiona and Ian.

The next named storm to form would be Owen.

NOAA has predicted at least four more hurricanes will form before hurricane season officially ends on Nov. 30.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

Mark Skoneki and Richard Tribou contributed to this report.