Live updates: Tropical storm warning discontinued for much of area

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Check power outages: Power outage map

5:20  p.m. update I Area couple shares storm experience

Anna and Bill Kopfhamer weren’t home during Hurricane Ian. The couple, who have lived in North Port’s Country Club Ridge since 1996, came back home from Anna’s grandmother’s 100th birthday celebration up north to find their home flooded with about nine inches of water and a few shingles missing from the roof.

So when Bill heard Tropical Storm Nicole was heading towards Florida after forming in the Atlantic Ocean, he wasn’t super worried.

“Tropical storm?” he said on Thursday, before blowing a dismissive raspberry. “I mean we’ve never left for a hurricane, and all her friends up north said, ‘Aren’t you glad you’re up here?’ Yes and no. We would rather have been here, but we were safe up there.”

On Thursday, as Nicole made its way through the state, Anna and Bill were shoveling debris from McKibben Drive back onto the sidewalk, so it wouldn’t clog up the gutters and – God forbid – create more standing water, as the neighborhood had after Ian.

Anna said when she heard Nicole had formed, she was worried about the wind more than anything. Debris could have gone flying from one of the “mounds” of piles in front of her house, she said, which would have set back home repairs. More than a month after Ian, massive piles of debris are still in front of almost every home in Country Club Ridge. Remediation work was taking place at the Kopfhamer home on Thursday, so any further damage would set them back.

Luckily, though, Nicole passed through without much of a trace.

Clearing debris from the streets in the middle of a Tropical Storm isn’t necessarily a glamorous job, but Anna said she was enjoying it on Thursday. It was actually therapeutic, she said – she’s currently processing the recent death of the same grandmother who turned 100 close to Hurricane Ian. Her grandmother died just 20 days after her 100th birthday.

“We had a wonderful celebration for her 100th, those memories will always be in my heart, and it was time,” she said. “I was asking God to take her because I didn’t want her to suffer.”

4  p.m. update I Sunshine Skyway reopened

The Florida Highway Patrol says the Sunshine Skyway Bridge has reopened. The bridge was closed for several hours Thursday due to strong wind and expected conditions from Tropical Storm Nicole.

12:45  p.m. update I Tropical storm warning discontinued

A tropical storm warning has been discontinued for the coastline in Sarasota County south of the middle of Longboat Key as Tropical Storm Nicole continues to move past the area. That means tropical storm conditions are no longer expected in the area. A warning remained in effect Thursday afternoon for areas in Manatee County north of the middle of Longboat Key.

Power outages in Sarasota-Manatee

Power outages in Sarasota County were up to 7,910 as of 1 p.m., which accounts for about 2.8% of Florida Power & Light customers in the county. Manatee County power outages were up to 5,340 or about 2.7% of FPL customers in the county.

For North Port, Nicole's rain dampens what Ian damaged

North Port, which got pummeled by Hurricane Ian, showed some signs of strain from Nicole early Thursday afternoon. Rain pelted tarped roofs, and basketball hoops were down, likely in preparation for the storm. Some street signs were still on the ground, probably left over from Ian, but Nicole’s winds moved branches on trees like the ones that had fallen over completely during the September storm.

Although the city’s main drags looked pretty intact, the Country Club Ridge neighborhood near Pine Park was in bad shape. Debris from home damage that happened during Ian sat in front of nearly every house and got soaked as rain continued to fall.

12 p.m. update | In Sarasota-Manatee, winds of 30 mph and 1.1 inches of rain

The National Weather Service gauges at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport recorded about 1.1 inches of rain between 7 a.m. and about 11 a.m. Winds of nearly 30 mph were still being recorded near 11 a.m., with a gust of 39 mph.

In Charlotte County, which was hard hit by Hurricane Ian, residents saw rainfall between 1.5 and 2 inches west of Interstate 75 and 2.5 and 3 inches of rain east of I-75, according to an email from spokesman Brian Gleason. Maximum sustained winds were reported in the mid-20 mph range with wind gusts up to 35 mph reported at Punta Gorda Airport overnight.

Tarps installed on roofs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian have largely held up, Gleason noted, with the exception of tarps secured by sandbags.

10 a.m. update I Storm forces outages in Manatee

No major flooding has been reported in Manatee County, but the storm has caused some street lights to stop functioning.

Public safety officials remind drivers to treat any intersections where traffic signals are not working as a four-way stop.

Florida Power & Light has reported that 1,250 Manatee County customers are without power as of 9 a.m., as are 284 Peace River Electric Cooperative customers, according to each company.

The county’s animal welfare shelters will have a delayed opening and will issue an update on social media when they open.

9:15 a.m. update I More county, city closures

Sarasota County buildings, such as libraries and the county administration center, are open on Thursday, according to a video update from the county. The Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department canceled outdoor and athletic field reservations for Thursday.

Sarasota County Area Transit services have been suspended and will resume on Friday. The city of Sarasota's Bay Runner trolley isn't running on Thursday either. Hurricane Ian debris collection was suspended in unincorporated Sarasota County and the city of Sarasota.

All Sarasota County government offices, including libraries, recreation centers, and the Florida Department of Health office, will be closed on Friday in observance of Veterans Day. City of Sarasota administrative offices will also be closed on Friday, but city recreation and cultural arts facilities will be open. To view the hours for those facilities on Friday, view this news release.

9 a.m. update I Venice, South County closures

The city of Venice Public Works department closed the walkway along the South Jetty at Humphris Par on Thursday morning because of the weather and city fountains have been shut down.

Stormwater engineers are assessing flows through city stormwater outfalls.

While the Venice Emergency Operations Center is actively monitoring Tropical Storm Nicole, Venice City Hall and other city facilities remain open Thursday.

Storm debris pickup paused Wednesday morning and is expected to resume Friday. Venice trash and recycling pickups will run as usual on Thursday.

The monthly City Bicycle Ride scheduled for Thursday has been canceled.

The city of North Port paused its storm debris collection, which is planned to resume after the system passes.

Solid waste pickup will continue as scheduled.

North Port city and other facilities remain open, though the George Mullen Activity Center and Morgan Family Community Center will have a delayed opening at noon.

The fitness centers will be open, but all instructor-led fitness classes, rentals, and programs are canceled.

The North Port Aquatic Center and athletic fields will be closed.

8 a.m. update I Rainfall totals, wind speed reports

The National Weather Service's gauges at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport were reporting sustained winds of about 25 mph and gusts to 40 mph this morning, with heavy rain. An early gust to 46 mph was reported at the airport. About an inch of rain had been reported there from about midnight to 7 a.m. this morning.

The highest rain totals in the region reported so far from the storm over the last 24 hours is just under 3 inches in central Highlands County.

Tampa Bay and coastal beaches north of Charlotte Harbor will see tides from 1 to 3 feet above normal from Thursday afternoon through Friday as winds come onshore, according to the Weather Service.

Conditions will improve from south to north throughout the day. Tropical storm force winds should depart Charlotte County by late morning, Sarasota County in the early afternoon and Manatee County in the afternoon.

All rivers are forecast to remain below or just below flood stage throughout the weekend.

A high risk of respiratory irritation from red tide is possible for some beaches in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties.

The Weather Service said  Nicole is moving west by northwest at 14 miles per hour and remains a large storm with a tropical storm wind field 600 miles across, from the southwest to the northeast. The eye wall is forecast to reach the Nature Coast, north of Tampa Bay around noon then curve up the Big Bend into Georgia around midnight.

7:30 a.m. update I Manatee County closures and advisories

Manatee County officials have announced several closures related to the storm.

Many government offices, the clerk of court and Manatee County schools are closed on Thursday and will remain closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

The county announced that the landfill will also be closed on Thursday. As a result, Manatee County and city of Bradenton announced that trash collection will be delayed by one day. Thursday's routes will be picked up on Friday, and Friday's routes will be picked up Saturday.

Bradenton City Hall remains open Thursday during regular hours despite the tropical storm, but officials encourage residents to be cautious before traveling if inclement weather becomes hazardous locally. City hall will close Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

The Manatee County Area Transit service, Myakka City Community Center and county parks are also closed Thursday but will reopen Friday, while Manatee County Public Libraries reopen Saturday.

The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County also announced plans to close Thursday and Friday.

DOH-Manatee officials issued a reminder to residents Wednesday evening to review statewide boil water notices, to never drive through flooded areas, and to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by placing generators outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows.

7 a.m. update I Sunshine Skyway bridge closed 

The Florida Highway Patrol has closed the Sunshine Skyway bridge between Manatee and Pinellas counties due to high winds of about 50 mph. The bridge will remain closed until winds subside to a safe level. Motorists are urged to seek alternate routes.

The National Weather Service in Ruskin said that West Central and Southwest Florida were starting to see the peak wind and rain impacts as of about 7 a.m. Consistent 50-60 mph winds have been reported around the Tampa Bay area.

Power outages hit area

Florida Power & Light was reporting that 2340 customers were without power in Sarasota County and 1010 in Manatee County as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

6:30 a.m. Wind, rain hit Sarasota, Manatee

Sarasota and Manatee counties, along with much of the Florida coastline, remained under Tropical Storm Warnings Thursday morning, as the center of Hurricane Nicole continued to travel closer after making landfall overnight near Vero Beach.

The storm made landfall as a hurricane with sustained winds of about 75 mph. Tropical storm force winds and rain are forecast in the Sarasota-Manatee area today as Nicole is predicted to pass to our north. The storm has a large wind field, so weather effects are felt far from the center.

Nicole quickly weakened into a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds now at 60 mph, as of the latest advisory from the Hurricane Center.

The National Weather Service in Ruskin said new rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches of rain were possible in Sarasota today. Tonight, there was a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Social media posts from around Florida showed Nicole's effects, mainly on the East Coast, where beach erosion worsening the effects of Hurricane Ian, and flooding were the big concerns.

Hurricane Nicole: Florida seeing damage from Hurricane Nicole: Video from Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Tropical Storm Nicole path: Sarasota, Manatee weather effects