by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Wed November 9, 2022
Update: November 11, 2022 at 9:35 a.m. ET
Nicole is now a tropical depression and impacting the southeastern United States on Friday, where it could dump as much as six inches of rain over the region. The National Hurricane Center said the rain would spread into the eastern Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and New England through Saturday.
Orlando International, Orlando Sanford International and Daytona Beach International airports all reopened Friday after storm-related closures, while Tampa International remained open during the hurricane and sustained no damages, according to Fox Orlando.
As for the cruise industry, Port Canaveral remains closed to "public navigation," Jaxport reopened at 6:30 a.m. on Friday and most other ports-including Port of Tampa Bay, Port Everglades and PortMiami-were unharmed by the storm and quickly reopened.
Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando started a phased reopening on Thursday.
Update: November 10, 2022 at 2:55 p.m. ET
Tropical Storm Nicole is impacting the west coast of the northern Florida peninsula, bringing strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves and heavy rain over much of the area, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Data from FlightAware.com showed that over 1,300 flights within, into or out of the United States have been canceled on Thursday as of 3 p.m. ET, with another 1,500-plus delays also reported. The majority of these disruptions are taking place at airports in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami and Palm Beach.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's website said that all major airports and seaports in the storm's path remain closed as damage from Nicole continues to be assessed, including Port Canaveral, JAXPORT and Port Miami.
Amtrak service in the region also remains suspended.
Update: November 10, 2022 at 8:20 a.m. ET
After making landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane, Nicole weakened into a tropical storm Thursday morning.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Nicole knocked out power to thousands and brought powerful winds and up to eight inches of rain to eastern, central and northern portions of Florida.
The storm is expected to continue on a northern trajectory and impact travel for people in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday. In total, areas from the U.S. Southeast to the southern and central Appalachians and western mid-Atlantic could experience between two to six inches of rain through Friday.
Data from FlightAware.com showed that over 1,200 flights within, into or out of the United States have been canceled on Thursday as of 8 a.m. ET, with the majority of these disruptions taking place at airports in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami and Palm Beach.
As for cruise lines, several ships have been forced to alter itineraries or remain at sea until a safe return to Florida ports is possible. The companies are waiting on officials representing PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades to officially reopen, which they said could happen as early as Thursday morning.
Update: November 9, 2022 at 7 p.m. ET
Hurricane Nicole continues to impact travel after achieving Category 1 status (rare for November) over the Bahamas while approaching Florida with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph late Wednesday.
Royal Caribbean International's Chief Meteoroligist James Van Fleet shared some of the storm's impact on the cruise line's private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Meanwhile, Orlando International Airport (MCO) confirmed its closure due to Nicole on Wednesday evening.
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) also shutdown for the day.
Original Text
Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday as it makes landfall in the Bahamas before eventually turning toward Florida Wednesday night.
According to the National Hurricane Center, officials in Florida have issued hurricane warnings from the coast of the Volusia-Flagler county line south to Boca Raton, with President Biden issuing an emergency declaration for the state that opens up federal assistance for emergency response in 45 of the state's 67 counties.
As of 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Nicole was around 60 miles northeast of Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, and 240 miles east of West Palm Beach with sustained winds of around 70 miles per hour. The winds will remain stronger to the north of the state, but Central Florida will also feel tropical storm-force effects.
The latest path projection from the National Hurricane Center predicts landfall between Boca Raton and the Brevard-Indian River county line as a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph sustained winds and 90 mph gusts. The storm's center could make it into the Gulf of Mexico north of Tampa before shifting north and making a second landfall south of Tallahassee late Thursday and then moving into the southern states.
Airlines and airports in the U.S. are already altering plans ahead of the storm's arrival, with Orlando International Airport announcing it would close to all commercial flights from 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Palm Beach halted operations mid-morning on Wednesday and has not announced a reopening time, while Melbourne Orlando International Airport is also closing to commercial air traffic at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
American Airlines has issued 20 travel alerts for airports expected to be impacted by the storm, including Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers, Florida; George Town and Freeport, Bahamas; Savannah, Georgia; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; and more.
Delta, Southwest, United and other airlines serving areas of Florida expected to be impacted by the storm have also started issuing waivers and waiving change fees.
The cruise industry is also bracing for impact, as the Port of Jacksonville and Port Canaveral are preparing to close temporarily on Wednesday, impacting scheduled voyages for Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line.
Walt Disney World Resort announced its water parks and miniature golf courses would close on Thursday as the storm impacts the states, with additional operational changes possible if the storm's path changes.
Nicole also forced Amtrak to temporarily adjust service on select routes through Friday as a safety precaution for customers and employees.
VISIT FLORIDA also activated the Emergency Accommodations Module on Expedia.com to provide real-time hotel and lodging availability for impacted Floridians and visitors throughout the state.
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