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.


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


Nicole to bring 'dangerous' storm surge, 'heavy' rain

A "dangerous" storm surge from Tropical Storm Nicole combined with the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, according to the National Weather Service.

If the peak occurs at the time of high tide, the National Weather Service said, the water could reach up to 5 feet above ground from Florida's Jupiter Inlet to Georgia's Altamaha Sound, from Florida's St. Johns River to the Fuller Warren Bridge, and from Anclote River to Ochlockonee River in Florida.

"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," the National Weather Service warned in a public advisory on Thursday morning.

Through Saturday, Nicole is expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rainfall from the northwestern Bahamas into portions of the Florida Peninsula, with a maximum of 8 inches of localized rain. The southeastern United States into the central Appalachian Mountains and eastern portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio could see 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, with a maximum of 6 inches of localized rain along the Blue Ridge Mountains. The northern Mid-Atlantic region into New England could get 1 to 4 inches of rainfall.

"Flash and urban flooding will be possible, along with renewed river rises on the St. Johns River, across the Florida Peninsula today," the National Weather Service added. "Heavy rainfall from this system will spread northward across portions of the Southeast, upper Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and New England today through Saturday, where limited flooding impacts will be possible."