The Washington Inquirer EditorPortions of South Florida remain under both a Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning after Subtropical Storm Nicole formed and was expected to approach the state later in the week.
Nicole had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and was moving northwest at 8 mph about 400 miles east-northeast of the northwestern Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Much of South Florida remains in the storm’s cone of concern.
The hurricane watch was issued for the east coast of Florida from the Volusia/Brevard County line to Hallandale Beach, along with Lake Okeechobee.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for Altamaha Sound, Georgia to Hallandale Beach. A storm surge warning was in effect for Altamaha Sound to North Palm Beach and from the mouth of the St. Johns River to Georgetown, Florida. A storm surge watch is in effect from North Palm Beach to Hallandale Beach.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday declared a state of emergency for 34 counties in the potential path of Nicole, including Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
“While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared and to listen to announcements from local emergency management officials,” DeSantis said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and strength of this storm as it moves towards Florida.”
The center of Nicole was expected to approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, move near or over
those islands on Wednesday, and approach the east coast of Florida by Wednesday night.
Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and Nicole is forecast to be at hurricane intensity by Wednesday or Wednesday night while it is moving near or over the northwestern Bahamas, the hurricane center said.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, and Grand Bahama Island. A tropical storm warning was issued for Andros Island, New Providence, and Eleuthera. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Hallandale Beach to north of Ocean Reef and from Bonita Beach to the Ochlockonee River.
A subtropical storm is a non-frontal low-pressure system that has characteristics of both tropical and extratropical cyclones. They tend to be large and have a larger wind field, extending much further from their centers.
“It’s not out of the question for Nicole to reach hurricane strength, especially given how warm the waters are in the vicinity of the Bahamas,” the NHC said. “It should be stressed, however, that no matter Nicole’s ultimate intensity, the storm’s large size will likely cause significant wind, storm surge, and rainfall impacts over a large portion of the northwestern Bahamas, Florida, and the southeastern coast of the United States during much of the upcoming week.”
The system is expected to move to the west and potentially bring coastal flooding, tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfall for areas from South Florida to the border of Georgia and South Carolina starting Wednesday night. As much as seven inches of rain could fall in Florida.
Storm surges are expected to be between two and five feet across South Florida.
Large parts of Florida are still reeling from destructive Hurricane Ian, which slammed into the southwestern portion of the state in September 28 as a strong Category 4 hurricane and dumped massive amounts of rain, causing flooding across central Florida.
Nicole is the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which has already seen seven hurricanes.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s updated prediction totals for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season call for 14-20 named storms, one below their prediction released in May.
The total number of hurricanes expected remains unchanged at six to ten, but the number of major hurricanes is now expected to be three to five, instead of the earlier prediction of three to six, NOAA said.
NOAA’s averages for the Atlantic hurricane season are 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. The average for major hurricanes is three.
The hurricane season officially ends on November 30.
