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.
Latest headlines:
Nicole hammers Florida with wind, rain
Tropical Storm Nicole is about 45 miles north of Tampa and is moving northwest at 15 mph, slamming Florida with rain and wind. Nicole's winds have decreased to 45 mph.
The gusty winds are also extending to the Georgia and South Carolina coast.
Tornado watches are in effect in Savannah, Georgia; Brunswick, Georgia; and Beaufort, South Carolina.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
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
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.
Almost 330,000 without power in Florida due to Nicole
Nearly 330,000 customers were without power across Florida on Thursday morning due to Tropical Storm Nicole, according to data collected by PowerOutage.us.
As of 9:34 a.m. ET, a total of 329,965 customers did not have power.
Latest forecast as Nicole moves across central Florida
The center of Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to move across central Florida on Thursday morning, possibly emerging over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Thursday afternoon, then move across the Florida Panhandle and Georgia on Thursday night and Friday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
Although "additional weakening" is in the forecast, the National Weather Service warned on Thursday morning that "Nicole remains a large tropical storm" and "strong wind, dangerous storm surge and waves, and heavy rains continue over a large area." Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 450 miles from Nicole's center, especially to the north. Sustained winds of 49 mph with a gust of 70 mph were reported early Thursday in Daytona Beach, Florida.
According to the National Weather Service, tropical storm conditions will continue along portions of the eastern coastlines of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in the warning areas on Thursday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to occur within the warning area along Florida's west coast through Thursday night.