November 10, 2022 Hurricane Nicole news

Two people were electrocuted by a downed power line in Florida's Orange County as Nicole crossed the state Thursday morning, the county sheriff's office said.

"Deputies responded to the intersection of Bayfront Parkway and Pershing Avenue in reference to a man down call around 9:30 a.m. ET,” the office said in a post on Facebook.

"When they arrived, deputies found a man who was unresponsive after he exited a vehicle and made contact with a downed live power line. That man was pronounced deceased on scene. A woman traveling with the man was also electrocuted and was transported to the hospital, where she died," the post reads. 

"We are urging all of our residents and visitors to use extreme caution if they are outside in the wake of the storm today. Never touch a downed power line. If you are driving and see a downed power line, change directions immediately," the post reads, adding that residents should call 911 if they see a downed line.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is extending a state of emergency to all Florida counties "simply because we're not sure of the extent of the impacts, in Northwest Florida in particular," he said Thursday morning.

DeSantis initially declared an emergency for 34 counties on Monday, days before Nicole's landfall. He added 11 counties Wednesday. And he's amending the list Thursday "out of an abundance of caution," he said.

The governor also addressed:

School closings: Sixty-one school districts are closed Thursday because of the storm.

Search and rescue, if needed: The state activated 600 National Guard troops and has "seven urban search and rescue teams on standby ready respond as soon as the weather clears," DeSantis said. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also "has high water vehicles ready to assist ... should that be needed," DeSantis said.

Some coastal homes and buildings in eastern Florida's Volusia County have collapsed into the ocean after Nicole pushed a huge volume of water onshore, according to officials and images from CNN affiliates.

In Wilbur-By-The-Sea, a barrier island community off Daytona Beach, several beachside homes -- or parts of them -- crumbled as storm surge tore the coastline and undermined their foundations, CNN affiliates WKMG and WFTV reported Thursday. A day earlier, 22 homes there were evacuated after officials deemed them unsafe, knowing that coastal erosion from Hurricane Ian just weeks earlier made the homes vulnerable.

In Daytona Beach Shores, at least one single-family coastal home partially collapsed, Volusia County officials said Thursday.

And as rough surf picked up a day earlier, the county's beach safety office collapsed into the water on Wednesday, CNN affiliate WESH reported.

Several factors are contributing to the dangerous situation on the coast. Among them: Nicole's storm surge, which peaked at around 6 feet Thursday morning, pushed ashore on top of exceptionally high tides associated with this week's full moon.

Behind all that, sea level in this part of Florida has risen more than a foot in the past 100 years, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- and most of that rise has occurred in the past three decades.

Scientists and researchers have long warned that sea level rise is leading to more erosion and high-tide flooding — particularly during extreme coastal storms. This is putting even more stress on sea walls, which are meant to protect coastal communities from high waves and water levels.

Read more about what's behind this.

The county where Nicole made landfall Thursday morning "dodged a bullet" because it hasn't received many reports of major damage, the county emergency management coordinator told reporters.

Indian River County is home to Vero Beach -- Nicole made landfall just south of that city. The county has barely received reports of damage, county emergency management director Ryan Lloyd said.

This is in contrast to other areas further north, such as the Daytona Beach area in Volusia County, where some beachside homes have collapsed because of an onslaught of storm surge and high tides, according to county officials and video from CNN affiliates.

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who had been surveying the damage earlier, said the county is "in a really good spot." The "further north you go the more" debris you see, but its "very minor," like downed trees, he said.

Bridges in the county reopened this morning, but the 17th Street bridge still was partially closed due to flooding on the roadway, Flowers said.

If residents don't need to be out, they should stay indoors while wind and rain persist, the sheriff said.

Tropical storm Nicole continues to weaken as it moves across central Florida. As of 10 a.m. ET, Nicole was centered about 30 miles northeast of Tampa with sustained winds of 50 mph and higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 345 miles from the center, especially to the northeast.

Sustained winds of 52 mph, and a gust of 70 mph, were recently reported by a weather station at Saint Augustine, Florida.

Additional weakening is expected Thursday morning while the center is over land. Then, little change in strength is expected when Nicole will be over the Gulf of Mexico this afternoon and evening. Nicole is expected to weaken to a depression over Georgia later tonight.

A tropical storm warning has been discontinued along Florida's west coast south of Englewood; along the state's east coast south of Sebastian Inlet; and for Lake Okeechobee. A storm surge warning has been discontinued for Florida's east coast south of Sebastian Inlet.

Here are the watches and warnings still in effect as of 10 a.m. ET:

 A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

 A storm surge warning is in effect for:

A storm surge watch is in effect for:

Officials in Florida's Volusia County have been warning for some time that the combination of Nicole's storm surge as well as erosion caused weeks ago by Hurricane Ian are combining to leave some homes at risk of collapse. This morning, they're urging people to stay off the beaches, worried that high tide and Nicole's remaining storm surge will cause more damage.

At least one single-family coastal home in Daytona Beach Shores has partially collapsed, county officials said in an email to news media.

"Due to the significant wave run-up and this morning’s king tide, the shoreline waters are up to the dune lines and sea walls. Individuals must stay off the beach!" the email reads.

The county includes Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and the barrier island communities of Daytona Beach Shores and Wilbur-By-The Sea.

"Conditions remain extremely dangerous with life-threatening surf, debris and strong rip currents," the county email reads.  

Water levels on Florida’s east coast are at their highest levels, more than five hours after Hurricane Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach, as the morning’s high tide nears.

Even though storm surge has lessened to 3 feet -- it peaked near 6 feet at 4 a.m. ET -- the rising tide levels are more than making up that difference. 

Water levels are nearing 4 feet above the normal highest tide at a monitoring station at Port Canaveral.

High tide in the region will be between 8 and 10 a.m. ET.

With the arrival of Nicole early Thursday, coastal residents in Florida and Georgia may be affected by storm surge as the system treks north.

Almost half of all deaths from tropical cyclones come from storm surge, the National Weather Service says.

While many people focus on the wind speed of storms, the danger often comes from the water flowing in from the ocean.

As the water piles up along the coast, rivers and streams that typically drain into the ocean can become clogged farther upstream, forcing water levels to rise.

And due to climate change, storm surge has become an even greater threat in recent years.

Read about the dangers of 'reverse storm surge' here:

RELATED

Why coastal communities should fear storm surge | CNN

Tropical Storm Nicole, now centered over central Florida, continues to deliver heavy rain over a large area, as well as dangerous storm surge.

Nicole now has sustained winds of 60 mph -- down from 75 mph during landfall -- and was centered about 30 miles southwest of Orlando around 7 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center says.

Its wind field is huge -- winds of tropical storm force extend outward up to 450 miles, hurricane the center says.

As for storm surge: Onshore inundation measured about 5.8 feet at Florida's Port Canaveral around 4 a.m. ET, just after landfall, according to NOAA. Peak winds, and therefore the surge, coincided with the low tide in the region, which happened around 2:30 a.m. -- and that limited the surge.

Even though the winds have lessened and the storm surge is now down to around 3 feet, coastal water levels in the area are expected to remain high for a while because high tide (happening between 8 and 10 a.m.) is coming in. The hurricane center had been forecasting widespread areas of 3 to 5 feet of storm surge, with up to 6 feet possible, for the east coast of Florida from the storm's location northward.

Here are the watches and warnings still in effect, as of 7 a.m. ET:

A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

A storm surge warning is in effect for:

A storm surge watch is in effect for: