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.


0

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 moving northwest, 40 miles away from Florida's capital

Tropical Storm Nicole is making its way northwest in Florida at around 15 mph. The storm is generating wind speeds of 40 mph and is located about 40 miles southeast of the state's capital city, Tallahassee, as of 7 p.m. ET.

-ABC News' Daniel Peck


4 dead in Orange County, Florida

Four deaths have been tied to Tropical Storm Nicole, all in Florida's Orange County.

A man and a woman died after they were electrocuted by a downed power line on Thursday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

“We are urging all of our residents and visitors to use extreme caution if they are outside in the wake of the storm today,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Never touch a downed power line. If you are driving and see a downed power line, change directions immediately.”

Two others died in a car crash on Florida's Turnpike in probable storm-related deaths, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said.


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."