Category 1 Hurricane “Nicole” makes landfall just south of Vero Beach, Florida

Radar imagery from Miami and Melbourne shows the center of Category 1 Hurricane “Nicole” has made landfall on the east coast of the Florida peninsula on North Hutchinson Island just south of Vero Beach at 08:00 UTC on November 10, 2022. Nicole is the latest calendar year hurricane to make landfall on the east coast of Florida on record, breaking the old record set by the Yankee on November 4, 1935.

The maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall were estimated to be 120 km/h (75 mph). The minimum central pressure was estimated to be 981 hPa.

At the time, the center of Nicole was located about 25 km (15 miles) NNW of Fort Pierce. The storm was moving WNW at 22 km/h (14 mph).

Nicole weakened into a tropical storm by 09:00 UTC, when its center was located about 35 km (25 miles) NW of Vero Beach and 95 km (60 miles) SE of Orlando. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) and was moving WNW at 22 km/h (14 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 981 hPa.

Nicole is a large tropical storm, bringing strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves, and heavy rains over a large area, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A turn toward the NW and NNW is expected later today and tonight, followed by an acceleration toward the N and NNE on Friday, November 11.

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move across central Florida this morning, possibly emerge over the far northeastern Gulf of Mexico this afternoon, and then move across the Florida Panhandle and Georgia tonight and on Friday.

Additional weakening is forecast while Nicole moves over land during the next day or two, and the storm is likely to become a tropical depression over Georgia tonight or early Friday.

Nicole is expected to merge with a frontal boundary over the Mid-Atlantic United States by Friday night.

Nicole is the latest calendar year hurricane to make landfall on the east coast of Florida on record, breaking the old record set by the Yankee Hurricane on November 4, 1935.

Only one hurricane has made landfall in the continental US on record (since 1851) after November 4 — Hurricane “Kate” near Mexico Beach, Florida on November 21, 1985, Dr. Philip Klotzbach said.

References:

¹ Tropical Storm Nicole Advisory Number 13 – NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL – 400 AM EST Thu Nov 10 2022

Featured image credit: Hurricane “Nicole” at 08:00 UTC on November 10, 2022. Credit: NOAA/GOES-East, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers