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 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 weakens to tropical depression
Nicole has weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds now down to 35 mph.
The storm is currently moving to the northwest at 15 mph and the center is located about 20 miles north of Tallahassee.
All tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been canceled.
-ABC News' Dan Peck
Evacuations ordered of ‘unsafe’ buildings in Florida county
Officials in Volusia County declared that 49 beachfront buildings are “unsafe” and have ordered people to evacuate amid now-Tropical Storm Nicole.
“The structural damage along our coastline is unprecedented,” County Manager George Recktenwald said on the county’s website. “We have never experienced anything like this before, so we ask for your patience as we make our assessments. As always, the safety of our residents and visitors is our top priority. This is going to be a long road to recovery.”
Some of the impacted buildings are hotels and condos, officials said.
-ABC News’ Matt Foster
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