Indialantic, Florida beach at high tide during the storm
On Wednesday evening, only six hours after Tropical Depression 16 had been upgraded to Tropical Storm Nicole, the National Hurricane Center announced that the storm had dissipated over the Florida Straits. Tropical storm and flood warnings for Florida were cancelled as the storm shifted northeastwards.
Due to the shift of direction, the weather system left over from Tropical Storm Nicole has spared most of the Treasure Coast.
Nicole remnants were moving north across the East Coast at 12 mph on Wednesday evening. Combined with a stalled frontal system, they are forecast to bring torrential rains and flooding to areas along the East Coast, from North Carolina to New England. Flood warnings or flood watch advisories have been issued for parts of the Carolinas, southeastern Virginia, central and eastern parts of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Heavy rain and flooding will last well into Friday.
Southeastern North Carolina, eastern South Carolina and the mid-Atlantic coast have already endured heavy rains and flooding. Wilmington, NC, which received 20.60 inches of rain since Sunday, appears to be the most affected. North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue has declared a state of emergency.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several eastern Virginia counties and cities, including Richmond, Williamsburg and Arlington. Many parts of Pennsylvania are also under a flood watch, and as much as six inches of rain may hit Philadelphia before the weather clears on Friday.
Tropical storm Nicole was the fourteenth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. On Wednesday, it drenched Cuba, and caused extensive damage in Jamaica where at least two people were killed.