Nicole live updates Thursday: Storm downgraded to tropical depression as it moves toward Georgia
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Nicole made landfall on the east coast of Florida Thursday at 3 a.m. on Hutchinson Island just south of Vero Beach as a 75-mph hurricane. This is only the second time in history a hurricane has hit the Florida Peninsula in November.
Don't panic, be prepared: Hurricane preparation: What supplies do you need for a storm? Here's a list
More: Tropical Storm Nicole live updates Wednesday: Storm surge wallops north Palm Beach County
10 p.m. update: Nicole downgraded to tropical depression
It's official: Nicole has been downgraded to a tropical depression.
Though weaker, Nicole continues to bring heavy rains to portions of the Southeast, according to the National Hurricane Center's 10 p.m. advisory. It's about 20 miles north of Tallahassee and moving northwest at 15 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
The depression is expected to cross into southwestern Georgia on Thursday night and travel across the western Carolinas on Friday. Its wind strength will continue to weaken over the coming days, rendering Nicole a post-tropical cyclone Friday before it dissipates over the eastern U.S. on Friday night.
All tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been discontinued.
FPL power update: Few outages remain in Palm Beach County
Only 80 Florida Power & Light customers in Palm Beach County remain without power as of 9 p.m., according to the utility's website.
FPL restored power to the nearly 52,000 who experienced outages during the storm.
Forty customers remain without power in Martin County. In Broward, all 13,790 customers affected by the storm had regained power by 9 p.m.
Four dead in wake of Tropical Storm Nicole
Four people in Orange County have died as a result of storm-related incidents, according to county Mayor Jerry L. Demings.
Two people died in the Orlando area Thursday morning after touching a power line downed by the storm.
Two others died in a car crash on Florida Turnpike's during the storm. The Florida Highway Patrol was investigating, the mayor said.
7 p.m. Tropical Storm Nicole update
Tropical Storm Nicole is bringing heavy rain to portions of north Florida and southern Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 7 p.m. advisory.
Nicole is about 40 miles southeast of Tallahassee and moving northwest at 15 mph, with 40 mph sustained winds. The storm’s northwestern trajectory is expected to continue through the evening, with a turn toward the north Thursday night.
Forecasters predict tropical storm conditions to continue along portions of Florida and Georgia’s east coasts. The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to flood, the advisory said.
FPL: Power restored to more than 75% of people affected by Nicole
Florida Power & Light has restored power to more than 75% of customers affected so far by Tropical Storm Nicole, the company announced Thursday.
FPL is moving additional crews northward to follow the path of the storm.
As of 5 p.m., FPL has restored power to about 352,000 customers with about 103,000 customers still without service. The outage numbers are expected to increase until Nicole leaves the state Thursday night.
The company has dedicated about 13,000 men and women to the restoration effort, including mutual assistance from 16 states.
“We are urging customers to continue to keep safety their top priority as Nicole remains a threat to North Florida,” said Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL.
More than 51,600 people have lost power in Palm Beach County over the course of the storm, though fewer than 1,650 remained without service Thursday afternoon, according to FPL's online tracker.
Schools to reopen Friday, other county updates
With the evacuation order lifted and cleanup efforts underway, operations across the county have begun to return to normal.
All bridges reopened at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, though county officials warned it will take time for crews to put signals and barriers back in place. Palm Tran fixed-route, Palm Tran Connection and Go Glades vehicles also resumed regular service Thursday.
The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department staff reopened general park areas and campgrounds at 3 p.m. Thursday. Facilities, groomed ball fields, the Juno Beach Pier, Peanut Island Park, Riverbend Park and Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park will remain closed until Friday.
The Palm Beach County School District remains closed Thursday but said classes and extra curricular activities, sports, evening classes will resume Friday. Tri Rail will also reopen Friday.
The Palm Beach County Library System will reopen Saturday, as will PBC Animal Care and Control.
4 p.m. Tropical Storm Nicole update
Tropical Storm Nicole straddled the coast of Florida's Big Bend region with the potential for storm surge, strong winds and heavy rains, according to the National Hurricane Center's 4 p.m. advisory.
Nicole is about 105 miles north-northwest of Tampa and 95 miles southeast of Tallahassee, moving northwest at 15 mph with sustained winds of up to 45 mph.
It's expected to move along the coast of Florida's Big Bend region for several hours before crossing through the eastern Florida Panhandle and into Georgia on Thursday night. There, Nicole is expected to weaken to a tropical depression over Georgia, then dissipate over the Mid-Atlantic United States by Friday night.
The tropical storm and storm surge warnings have been discontinued for Florida's east coast residents south of the Flagler and Volusia county line, as well as for Florida's west coast south of Aripeka, near Hernando B
Minimal damage reported at beaches in Jupiter, Juno
Beaches in Jupiter and Juno Beach appeared to have weathered Nicole with minimal damage.
Carlin Park in Jupiter remained closed Thursday morning, but more than a dozen people strolled along the beach just to the south, near the Jupiter Reef Club.
Near the Juno Beach Pier, where Palm Beach County's highest wind gusts were recorded early Thursday, dozens returned to the beach, including a few surfers. Debris along the beaches was minimal.
— Julius Whigham II
Some Jupiter parks, beaches reopen in wake of Nicole. Others remain closed.
In Jupiter, Cinquez Park, along Indiantown Road east of Central Boulevard, has reopened to visitors, including its dog park.
Jupiter Community Park and Abacoa Community Park, including all their athletic fields and facilities, remain closed. These parks will reopen once conditions allow, the town said.
All town of Jupiter beach crossovers, except for those closed prior to Hurricane Nicole (Nos. 45, 46 and 50, just south of Carlin Park), have been reopened.
Surf conditions are ranging from 6 to 10 feet, the town said, urging visitors to be cautious.
Palm Beach County lifts evacuation order for barrier islands, mobile homes
Palm Beach County lifted its mandatory evacuation order for Zones A and B, which encompass barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying areas, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
About 52,000 residents in mobile homes and 67,000 on barrier islands were ordered to evacuate beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, although county officials said they expected most residents to shelter in place.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that all major roads have been deemed clear, traffic signals are working and initial damage assessments of county buildings, beaches and the community overall are complete.
1 p.m. Tropical Storm Nicole update: Storm continues northern trek up Florida
Tropical Storm Nicole is about 45 miles north of Tampa and traveling northwest at about 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's 1 p.m. advisory. Its maximum sustained winds have weakened to 45 mph.
The storm is expected to turn toward the north-northwest, followed by a turn toward the north Thursday night. The center of the storm will pass over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico before moving inland over the eastern Florida Panhandle on Thursday night.
Little change in strength is expected while Nicole is over the gulf Thursday afternoon and evening, forecasters said. Nicole is expected to weaken to a tropical depression while over Georgia on Thursday night and accelerate north-northeastward Friday.
The tropical storm warning for the west coast of Florida south of the middle of Longboat Key has been discontinued. All previously set warnings and watches remain in effect.
High wind and rain reports for Palm Beach County
The National Weather Service in Miami reported the highest wind gusts from Nicole in Palm Beach County were measured at the Juno Beach Pier at 3:33 a.m. Nov. 9.
Juno Beach Pier, 62 mph
Lake Worth Pier, 58 mph
Boca Raton, 54 mph
Mangonia Park, 46 mph
West Palm Beach, 45 mph
Boynton Beach, 44 mph
Lantana, 42 mph
Wellington, 36 mph
There were also several measurements of sustained tropical storm-force winds. The Juno Beach Pier had a maximum sustained wind of 55 mph at 8:53 p.m. Wednesday. It also had 40 to 55 mph sustained winds from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Delray Beach had sustained tropical storm-force winds of 40 to 45 mph from midnight to about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. It also had a peak sustained wind of 50 mph at 11:48 a.m. Wednesday.
Rain totals in inches:
Ocean Ridge, 4.87
Jupiter, 4.79
Boca Raton, 4.17
Greenacres, 3.56
Palm Beach Gardens, 3.54
Boynton Beach, 3.16
Lake Worth Beach, 2.91
West Palm Beach, 2.87
Delray Beach, 2.85
PBIA to reopen at 8 a.m.
Palm Beach International Airport will reopen its terminal at 8 a.m. Thursday after closing it ahead of Nicole on Wednesday. A note on the airport's website says many airlines are planning to resume operations. But please check with your airline for specific flight details.
Tropical storm warning canceled as Nicole chugs across state
The tropical storm warning for Florida's east coast south of Jupiter was canceled as of the National Hurricane Center's 7 a.m. advisory.
A tropical storm warning continues for coastal areas north of Jupiter.
Nicole at 7 a.m. Thursday had 60 mph sustained winds and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph. The storm was about 55 miles east of Tampa, and could slip into the Gulf of Mexico before turning north and trekking through Tallahassee. It is not expected to regain strength.
Hurricane warnings dropped for Palm Beach County
Nicole was downgraded to a high-end tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center at its 4 a.m. update.
That's about an hour after the unusual tropical cyclone made history as only the second hurricane to hit the Florida Peninsula in the month of November. Nicole's hurricane-force winds at landfall extended 25 miles from its center. Its tropical storm-force winds extended 485 miles.
The storm Thursday morning had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was moving west-northwest at 14 mph. It was about 60 miles southeast of Orlando.
Tropical Storm Nicole: Palm Beach County shelters starting to fill
Tropical Storm Nicole live updates: Storm surge wallops north Palm Beach County
A hurricane warning for Boca Raton to the Flagler/Volusia County line has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning. A storm surge warning for North Palm Beach to the Jupiter Inlet has been discontinued, but is still in effect for the Jupiter Inlet into south Georgia.
Nicole is expected to turn northwest and north-northwest later today and tonight and then speed north-northeast on Friday.
Nicole could move across the state into the Gulf of Mexico today but is not expected to intensify.
Rainfall at Palm Beach International Airport measured 2.25 inches Wednesday and little rain is expected Thursday. The highest sustained wind speed was 35 mph with a gust of 44 mph. The average wind speed was 20 mph.
While Nicole's influence will wane today on land, its coastal effects will continue with a high surf advisory and rip current statement for Palm Beach County.
FPL: 8,300 households without power in Palm Beach County
Florida Power and Light said about 8,300 households in Palm Beach County out of 767,390 customers are without electricity as of 4 a.m. Thursday.
Statewide, 68,770 out of 5.2 million are without power. Most of the outages are in Brevard, Indian River and Martin counties.
And we have landfall... https://t.co/ZbHDCpFPCV pic.twitter.com/vXLgzPvcNn
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) November 10, 2022
Behind Nicole is dry air and nice weekend for Palm Beach County
Drier air is expected to rush in following Nicole with southwest winds of around 21 mph and gusts to 36 mph. Rain chances are 50% Thursday but the National Weather Service said no significant rainfall is forecast.
By Thursday night, winds will fall to a sustained 6 to 9 mph.
Veterans Day is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 85 degrees and a low of 71 Friday morning. Saturday morning will be mostly clear with a low of 69 degrees.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tropical depression Nicole updates for Palm Beach County Thursday
