Nicole heads up East Coast after 4 deaths in Florida
Nicole made landfall as a hurricane Thursday morning.
Nicole made landfall along Florida's east coast as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday before weakening to a tropical depression later that night.
It was the second-latest hurricane landfall in a calendar year on record in the United States.
Nicole formed as a subtropical storm in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends later this month.
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Artemis rocket suffered minor damage
NASA's new moon rocket Artemis suffered minor damage when Nicole’s powerful winds blew through Cape Canaveral, Florida, Wednesday night, according to Jim Free, associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA.
Free said the damage can be repaired easily.
NASA is targeting Nov. 16 at 1:04am ET for the launch. The uncrewed mission to the moon will last 25 days, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
-ABC News’ Gina Sunseri
Remnants of Nicole race up East Coast
The remnants of Nicole are racing up the East Coast, bringing rain to the central Appalachian Mountains, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Flash flooding is possible from the central Appalachians into western Pennsylvania and New York state.
A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of eastern Virginia and North Carolina until 6 p.m.
The heavy rain will persist in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through the night. Winds will be gusty at times, especially along the coast.
The rain will mostly wrap up Friday night, lingering into early Saturday morning across New England.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
Nicole churns over Georgia with 'heavy' rain
Tropical Depression Nicole was churning over Georgia early Friday morning, wielding maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to the National Weather Service.
The center of Nicole is forecast to move across central and northern Georgia on Friday morning and over the western Carolinas later in the day. Nicole is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone later Friday, then dissipate overnight as it merges with a frontal system over the eastern United States.
In a public advisory early Friday, the National Weather Service said that Nicole will continue to bring "heavy" rainfall to portions of the southeastern U.S. There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
Here's where Nicole is headed next
Areas of heavy rain and gusty winds will continue to impact parts of the Southeast overnight as the system begins its move up the East Coast.
A tornado threat continues for portions of Georgia, South Carolina and now southern North Carolina as of Thursday night.
A tornado watch is in effect until at least 1 a.m., including in Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina.
-ABC News' Dan Peck
100 mph winds batter NASA's Artemis moon rocket
NASA's new moon rocket reportedly experienced 100 mph winds at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday night, as Tropical Storm Nicole took aim at the Sunshine State.
Despite the incoming storm, NASA announced in a statement on Monday evening that its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket would remain on launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, citing "current forecast data." In another statement on Tuesday evening, NASA said that the $4.1 billion test flight -- the opening shot in the space agency’s Artemis moon-exploration program -- "is designed to withstand" 85 mph winds.
"Current forecasts predict the greatest risks at the pad are high winds that are not expected to exceed the SLS design," the agency added. "The rocket is designed to withstand heavy rains at the launch pad and the spacecraft hatches have been secured to prevent water intrusion."
NASA had been aiming for a third launch attempt on Nov. 14 but is now looking at Nov. 16, "pending safe conditions for employees to return to work, as well as inspections after the storm has passed," the agency said.
