Tracking the tropics: Hurricane Nicole takes aim at Florida, to impact the DMV Friday

Medelin PinNovember 9, 2022

Nicole is set to make landfall in Florida overnight and bring the DMV rain for the end of the week.

WASHINGTON — There are three weeks left in the Atlantic Hurricane Season and the tropics aren’t letting up quite yet. Nicole became a hurricane as it made landfall on Grand Bahama Island with maximum winds of 75 mph. The storm is forecast to maintain hurricane strength as it makes landfall overnight near Port St. Lucie. Nicole is the third named storm in November. That is more than July and August combined.

Regardless of whether Nicole makes landfall as a tropical storm or category 1 hurricane, it will be the 4th strongest storm to ever make landfall in the United States during the month of November replacing Eta which made landfall in Florida on November 9th, 2020.

Hurricane Warnings have been issued for portions of the Bahamas. Hurricane Watches and Tropical Storm Warnings and Watches have been hoisted for parts of the Bahamas, the Florida Atlantic coast and parts of Georgia and South Carolina.

While the center of the storm will still be in the SE United States, the storm is so large and far reaching that we’re set to start seeing tropical moisture by Friday morning across the DMV.

It won’t rain all day on Friday, rather waves of off and on rain that will be locally heavy at times.

The expected rain isn’t enough to cause widespread flooding issues, but pockets of heavier rain (especially in our western counties) could lead to minor flooding.

Gusty wind will start to kick up later Friday afternoon and last into the overnight hours. Localized gusts up to 30 – 35 mph may snap a few tree branches but widespread wind damage is not expected. Breezy conditions persist into the weekend.