Subtropical Storm Nicole threatens to hit Florida as a hurricane

Subtropical Storm Nicole, which formed in the Atlantic on Monday, is threatening to become a hurricane over the Bahamas before hitting the east coast of Florida on Wednesday, forecasters said.

The storm is expected to reach Florida after polls close Tuesday and not disrupt the election. “We really won’t start to see any significant impacts from Nicole until Tuesday night or Wednesday, so she shouldn’t have a huge impact on voting operations tomorrow,” hurricane specialist Phillippe Papin told Reuters. The Associated Press.

Storm Nicole is “very large, with a very large wind field on the north side,” Papin added. “This is going to cause quite a bit of swell, potentially dangerous storm surge somewhere along the east coast of Florida, heavy rain and probably significant winds over a large area of ​​the east coast of the Florida panhandle.”

Nicole formed early Monday morning over the Atlantic Ocean, and is expected to cause dangerous conditions in the northwestern Bahamas, Florida and the southeastern US coast during the week.

The storm is moving northwest at about 15 kilometers per hour (9 mph). It is located 795 kilometers (495 miles) east of the Bahamas, and has maximum sustained winds of around 75 kilometers per hour (45mph), which extend up to 445 km (275 miles) from its center, according to the most recent bulletin. of United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The government of the Bahamas issued a hurricane watch for the Northwestern Islands, including Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos, Berry, Grand Bahama, and Bimini.

Authorities also issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s east coast, from the Volusia-Brevard county line to Hallandale Beach, as well as for Lake Okeechobee.

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the area within the next 48 hours.

“The central Bahamas, the rest of Florida and along the southeastern coast of the United States should monitor Nicole’s progress,” the NHC warned.

Authorities issued a storm surge watch for the east coast of Georgia and for Florida from Altamaha Sound south to Hallandale Beach, where as much as four feet of water could accumulate.

Nicole would produce 2 to 4 inches of rain, with a local maximum of 6 inches, in the northwestern Bahamas Tuesday through Thursday.

The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30. If it became a hurricane, Nicole would be the eighth this season.

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