Nicole Is Now Officially A Hurricane As Central Florida Awaits Her Arrival

Tropical Storm Nicole has now strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday evening as it approaches Florida for an early Thursday landfall in the southeast part of the state.

We will now likely see Nicole make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds at around 74 mph or greater, near Fort Pierce.

The storm will then track northwest across Florida, maintaining hurricane status while running through the Tampa Bay area before weakening and reaching the Big Bend, according to the latest track from the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 485 miles from the center of Nicole, especially to the north of the center.

We can expect impacts across Central Florida, including beach erosion, high seas and rip currents.

Already, Daytona Beach Shores has multiple condo complexes and a hotel along the beach under threat of collapse due to the powerful storm surge caused by Tropical Storm Nicole.

Flagler, Volusia and Brevard counties are expected to see winds reaching 50 to 80 mph with 4 to 8 inches of rain.

A storm surge warning remains in effect for the entirety of east Central Florida coast, for the potential of 3-5 feet of surge above ground level and as much as 6 feet in spots.

Rain could add up and lead to more flooding in areas that flooded during Hurricane Ian.

Here in Orlando, the Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Major Jerry Demings have declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Nicole continues to strengthen.

They are urging residents to take this storm seriously and make necessary preparations by 6 p.m. as the storm is expected to make landfall by Wednesday night.

Shelters in Orange County are available at the South Econ Recreation Center or the West Orange Recreation Center.