Tropical Storm Nicole churns toward Bahamas, Florida
Published:Tuesday | November 8, 2022 | 5:37 PM
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Nicole churned toward the northwestern Bahamas and Florida's Atlantic coastline on Tuesday and was forecast to develop into a hurricane over the next couple of days, forecasters said.
A range of warnings and watches remain in place. Many areas are still reeling from damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm in late September before dumping heavy amounts of rain across much of the central part of the state.
Forecasters said heavy rain could fall on areas still recovering from Ian's flooding.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini and Grand Bahama Island, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Other areas of the Bahamas, including Andros Island, New Province and Eleuthera remained under a tropical storm warning.
Residents in at least three Florida counties — Flagler, Palm Beach and Volusia — were ordered to evacuate from barrier islands, low-lying areas and mobile homes.
The evacuation orders are set to take effect Wednesday.
Officials at Orlando International Airport, the seventh busiest in the US, said commercial operations would stop Wednesday afternoon until it was safe to resume flights.
“This incoming storm is a direct threat to both property and life,” said Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald. “Our infrastructure, particularly along the coastline, is very vulnerable because of Hurricane Ian.”
In the Bahamas, long lines formed at gas stations and grocery stores earlier Tuesday said Eliane Hall, who works at a hotel in Great Abaco island.
“We just boarded it up,” she said of the hotel, adding that the impact of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that struck in 2019, was still fresh in many people's minds. “We're still affected,” she said.
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