Tropical Storm Nicole is set to strengthen and it’s forecast to become a Hurricane over the next 24 hours. As of the Evening Update (Tuesday) The center of Nicole remains east of the Bahamas as a strong tropical storm (winds of 65 mph). It’s also a very large system that’s spreading tropical moisture over hundreds of miles! In fact, we’re already seeing some fast-moving rain bands along Florida’s east coast, roughly 400 miles from the core of the storm.
Nicole will move generally west, then northwest, as it eventually approaches Florida’s east central coast. On the current track, Nicole may make landfall early Thursday morning, somewhere north of Palm Beach County and possibly near Cape Canaveral. That being said, it’s large enough that impacts will be felt well beyond the Forecast Cone.
South Florida needs to be prepared for a “rough couple days”. Heavy rain squalls will increase on Wednesday and tropical downpours could lead to street flooding (despite the fast movement of the cells). In addition to the rain, gusty winds will exceed 30 mph across Miami-Dade County, with even stronger winds expected in Broward, possibly above 50 mph. It’s important to secure loose objects that could be picked up by the increasing winds. Also, remember to be aware of possible downed powerlines as we get the peak of the activity from mid-day Wednesday through mid-day Thursday. As of this writing, a Flood Watch has been issued for all of Broward County as well as for eastern Miami-Dade. Storm total amounts of 2 – 4 inches are possible along with isolated areas potentially getting 6 inches of rain.