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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Nicole makes landfall as tropical storm in Bahamas
Nicole made landfall as a tropical storm on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas just before noon local time on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.
Disney World parks to close
Disney World parks will close early Wednesday evening and will remain closed through Thursday morning due to the storm.
Nicole could make landfall twice
Once Nicole makes landfall early Thursday in Martin County as a Category 1 hurricane, the storm is expected to cross the state of Florida, hit the Gulf of Mexico and possibly make landfall again along Florida’s Big Bend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned.
The major concerns for Nicole are winds, flooding, beach erosion and possible tornadoes, DeSantis said.
He said 15 shelters are open for those urged to evacuate.
The governor said 16,000 linemen have been staged to immediately work on restoring power as soon as the storm passes.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul
Florida counties announce evacuation orders
Several of Florida's 67 counties have announced evacuation orders in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole's arrival.
Flagler County: Evacuation orders go into effect Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. local time for residents and visitors in Zone A, the barrier island from Flagler Beach to Marineland, as well as mobile homes and RVs countywide, according to the Flagler County Emergency Management.
Volusia County: Mandatory evacuations went into effect Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time for residents and visitors east of the Intercostal Waterway, all mobile homes east of Interstate 95, all low-lying areas and other areas prone to flooding as well as all campsites and RV recreational parks, according to the Volusia County Emergency Management.
Palm Beach County: Mandatory evacuations went into effect Tuesday at 7 a.m. local time for Zones A and B, including mobile homes, barrier islands and low-lying areas, according to Palm Beach Mayor Robert Weinroth.
Beach erosion in 4 counties, Saint Johns River at major flood stage
Florida’s Brevard, Volusia, Flagler and Saint Johns counties, which had already seen beach erosion from September’s Hurricane Ian, are now seeing major beach erosion from Nicole, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday.
DeSantis and Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie warned that the flooding along the Saint Johns River is at major flood stage and could continue to get worse.
DeSantis said 17,000 linemen are standing by to repair the downed power lines and 250 Department of Transportation crews are ready to clear roads and inspect bridges once it’s safe to do so.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Faul