Nicole topples homes, kills 2 and causes widespread power outages in Florida (2024)

Hurricane Nicole made landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast early Thursday, leading to at least two deaths, widespread power outages, the collapse of several homes and the unearthing of what may be a Native American burial ground.

The hurricane made landfall just south of Vero Beach around 3 a.m. ET on the east coast of the Florida Peninsulaon North Hutchinson Island, with sustained winds estimated at 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Nicole, which struck Florida as a Category 1 hurricane about six weeks after Category 4 Hurricane Ian, weakened into a tropical storm shortly after landfall.

While not as forceful as Ian, Nicole left broad devastation in its wake, including deaths.

Two people were electrocuted by a downed power line in Orange County, the sheriff’s office said Thursday afternoon.

Coastal homes collapsed in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, an unincorporated beachfront community, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said. Twenty-five homes have been declared structurally unsafe, and in Daytona Beach Shores, north of the community, 24 hotels and condominiums were declared unsafe and ordered evacuated, it said.

Meanwhile, in St. Johns County, part of the Coastal Highway appeared to be broken and covered in water.

In Martin County, Nicole churned up sand and unearthed what appeared to be bones on Chastain Beach on South Hutchinson Island, the sheriff's office said. The site is believed to be a Native American burial ground, it said.

In Port Orange, the Rose Bay Dam breached Thursday, and emergency repairs are underway. Port Orange City Hall wrote on Facebook that the seawall and the bank on the north end of a drainage system were “compromised” and that tide from the bay was “pushing rising water in the area.”Residents were urged to evacuate with hundreds of homes at risk.

Nicole topples homes, kills 2 and causes widespread power outages in Florida (1)

Nicole’s timing is a rarity for the region, as only two hurricanes have made landfall in the state in November since the start of record-keeping: Hurricane Yankee in 1935 and Hurricane Kate in 1985, according to The Associated Press.

The storm continued to weaken Thursday, and by 10 p.m. it was a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center. But it was still bringing heavy rains to parts of the southeastern U.S., the agency said.

Thursday night the now-tropical depression was centered about 20 miles north of Tallahassee on Florida’s panhandle, and was moving northwest at 15 mph.

The legacy of Nicole will be devastating beach erosion, especially along the northeast coastline, which Ian hammered only weeks ago, meteorologists said.

Nicole was affecting neighboring states, too.

There could be a few tornadoes in eastern South Carolina and southern North Carolina overnight, the hurricane center said, and also in the rest of North Carolina and Virginia on Friday.

The Southeast, Kentucky and Ohio could see 2 to 4 inches of rain, and northern Mid-Atlantic states and New England could get 1 to 3 inches, according to the agency.

Communities still reeling from Ian are hit

Hurricane warnings had covered Florida’s coast from Boca Raton to the county line between Flagler and Volusia counties, northeast of Orlando, before the storm’s landfall.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a storm briefing Thursday morning that Nicole’s strong winds are affecting regions beyond its central track.

He said the storm was bringing heavy rains to the state, which had resulted in “3 to 5 feet in storm surge” in some areas and potential flash flooding.

“You do have downed trees, you have power lines, you have some road washouts, combined winds and storm surge, we’ve seen beach erosion — especially in areas that had already seen erosion from Hurricane Ian, and these are places like Brevard, Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties,” DeSantis said.

He said that while the storm isn’t as strong as Ian was, he had expanded the initial emergency declaration for 45 counties to cover all of them. The state has 17,000 lineworkers staged to begin power restoration, as well as seven search and rescue teams, high water vehicles and Transportation Department crews ready to deploy as soon as it is safe, he said.

DeSantis had said earlier in the week that 600 National Guard members were activated, as well.

“This is obviously not as significant a storm as Hurricane Ian was, but coming on the heels of that, you're seeing communities, particularly in the Volusia County area, where you have a lot of that erosion on the coastline, this has put some of those structures in jeopardy,” he said.

Nicole topples homes, kills 2 and causes widespread power outages in Florida (2)

Sixty-one school districts were closed Thursday because of the storm.

Krista Dowling Goodrich, who manages 130 rental homes in Daytona Beach Shores as the director of sales and marketing at Salty Dog Vacations,said she saw the beachfront disappear ahead of the storm.

“While we were there, the whole backyard just started collapsing into the ocean. It went all the way up to the house,” she told the AP. She said the water also compromised the remaining land between a row of tall condominium buildings nearby.

Officials in Volusia, Palm Beach and Flagler counties issued mandatory evacuation orders for some areas ahead of the storm.

Nicole made landfall Wednesday on Grand Bahama Island, less than 100 miles east of Florida. Extensive flooding, downed trees and power and water outages were reported in the archipelago’s northwest region.

Hurricane Ian made landfall on the opposite side of Florida, near Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast, on Sept. 28 and traveled across the state to the Atlantic. Ian was one of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the state in recorded history.

Marlene Lenthang

Breaking News Reporter

Phil Helsel

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

Antonio Planas

Antonio Planas is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

The Associated Press

contributed

.

Nicole topples homes, kills 2 and causes widespread power outages in Florida (2024)

FAQs

How did Hurricane Nicole affect Florida? ›

Originating as a subtropical feature, Nicole had a wide wind field, and impacts were felt far and away from its core. Strong swells in combination with astronomical high tide caused devastating storm surge and coastal flooding along the east central Florida coast.

What day did Nicole hit Florida? ›

Hurricane Nicole made landfall as a category 1 hurricane on 10 November 2022, near Vero Beach, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Was there a state of emergency for Hurricane Nicole in Florida? ›

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 22-256 (Amending Executive Order 22-253, Emergency Management – Hurricane Nicole), expanding the state of emergency to all 67 Florida counties. Thursday morning, Hurricane Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane near Vero Beach, Florida.

How many hurricanes are predicted to hit Florida in 2024? ›

Experts are predicting this season could bring:

Between 17 and 25 named storms (storms with winds of at least 39 mph). Between 8 and 13 of these will be hurricanes (storms with winds of at least 79 mph). Between 4 and 7 of these will be major hurricanes (categories 3, 4 and 5 storms).

Did Hurricane Nicole hit Ocala, Florida? ›

As Tropical Storm Nicole passed over the peninsula of Florida, it brought wind and rain to Ocala/Marion County. Laundromat customers lucky to be alive after surviving explosion.

How many people died in Hurricane Nicole? ›

Impact
CountryDeathsDamage (USD)
The Bahamas0Unknown
United States5>$1 billion
Dominican Republic6Unknown
Total:11>$1 billion

Did Hurricane Nicole hit Hollywood Florida? ›

The early impacts of what was Hurricane Nicole were on display in Broward County, particularly in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood beaches Wednesday night. King tide and several inches of rain brought flooding along Florida A1A in both cities.

What part of Florida is affected by hurricanes? ›

While no part of Florida is safe from hurricanes, some areas see fewer strikes. Storm data collected from 1851 to 2022 shows that Northwest Florida – the Panhandle and the Big Bend – has experienced the most direct hurricane hits, with 66 making landfall in the region, including 14 major hurricanes, according to NOAA.

Has Florida recovered from Hurricane Nicole? ›

"Residents in each community impacted by Hurricane Nicole are still recovering in some respects," said Volusia County Emergency Services Director Jim Judge. "Property owners along the coast are at varying degrees of the recovery process, with some completely restored while others may have yet to begin."

Was Hurricane Nicole a federal disaster? ›

Affected taxpayers claiming the disaster loss on their return should put the Disaster Designation, Florida, Hurricane Nicole, in bold letters at the top of the form. Be sure to include the FEMA disaster declaration number, FEMA-4680-DR, on any return.

What Florida counties are declared disaster areas? ›

Primary Counties Eligible:
BrowardHardeeOkeechobee
CollierHendryOsceola
DeSotoHighlandsPalm Beach
GladesHillsborough

Where did Hurricane Nicole hit the hardest? ›

The damages

On this day last year, Hurricane Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach, but its storm surge and heavy rainfall pelted Volusia County.

Why did Hurricane Nicole happen? ›

The origins of Nicole can be traced back to a broad non-tropical area of low pressure that developed in the Western Atlantic to the north of the Greater Antilles.

Has Florida ever had a hurricane in November? ›

Hurricane strikes are rare late in the season

– By November, tropical activity is typically on the decline. Since the late 1800s, only three hurricanes have made landfall in the state of Florida in November. Prior to Nicole, you have to go back more than 30 years to find a November hurricane landfall in Florida.

What part of Florida was hit the hardest from Hurricane Nicole? ›

It caused A1A to collapse for the second time (since Ian)," Lord said. Flagler County saw flooding from the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, he said. Some of the hardest hit areas were around The Hammock, Washington Oaks, Beverly Beach, and parts of Flagler Beach, Lord said.

How many people died from Hurricane Nicole in Florida? ›

There were five indirect deaths in Florida as a result of Nicole. Two people were killed after being electrocuted by downed power lines in Conway. Two people were killed in a crash on Florida's Turnpike. Another person was found dead in Cocoa on a yacht.

How did Hurricane Nicole affect flight? ›

Data from flight tracking site FlightAware showed that, as of about 3 p.m. ET, carriers in the United States had canceled 1,353 flights, affecting both international and domestic services. More than 900 flights had been canceled Wednesday.

What was the cost of the damage caused by Hurricane Nicole? ›

Newark, CA – November 16, 2022 - RMS®, a Moody's Analytics company and a world-leading risk modeling and solutions company, estimates total private market U.S. insured losses from Hurricane Nicole to be less than US$2 billion, with the best estimate of US$1.6 billion.

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