Tropical Storm Nicole Upgraded to Category 1 Hurricane Ahead of Landfall Near Port St. Lucie

By  //  November 9, 2022

Hurricane Nicole is currently carrying 75 mph max sustained winds

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – National Hurricane Center has upgraded Tropical Storm Nicole to a Category 1 Hurricane Wednesday night as the system prepares to make landfall on Florida near Port St. Lucie.

Hurricane Nicole is currently carrying 75 mph max sustained winds and moving to West- Northwest at 13 mph.

Nicole is moving toward the west-northwest near 13 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A turn toward the northwest is expected on Thursday, followed by a turn toward the north and north-northeast on Friday. The center of Nicole will move onshore the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area late tonight or early Thursday.

Nicole’s center is then expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and into the Carolinas Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 75 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected until Nicole makes landfall along the Florida east coast.

Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday through Friday, and it is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday afternoon.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 485 miles, especially to the north of the center.

A WeatherFlow station at Juno Beach Pier recently reported a wind gust of 55 mph and a C-MAN station at Settlement Point on Grand Bahama Island recently reported a wind gust of 55 mph.