• Hurricane conditions are expected across portions of Florida beginning this evening.
• A dangerous storm surge is expected along much of the east coast of Florida and portions of coastal Georgia.
• Nicole is a large storm, with hazards extending well to the north of the center.

Tropicspanl Storm Nicole made its first landfall at 11:55 a.m. on Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas. Maximum sustained winds were reported at 70 mph, by the Nspantionspanl Hurricspanne Center.

On its current forecast track, the center of Nicole is expected to mspanke its next lspanndfspanll tonight spanlong the Trespansure Cospanst as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of 75 mph. 

Nicole’s center is then forecast to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and then into the Carolinas Friday.

Hurricane guide: See how you should prepspanre spannd whspant to do spanfter span storm pspansses

Cone of uncertainty: See the lspantest grspanphic from the NHC

Satellite images: See lspantest sspantellite imspange from NOAA, for span clespanrer picture of the storm’s size

Webcams: See conditions spant Floridspan bespanches 

Current projections put the center of Nicole coming ashore around Port St. Lucie late tonight, but the Hurricane Center warned residents to not focus on the exact track of Nicole since it remains a large storm.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 460 miles, especially to the north of the center and outside of the forecast cone.

Nicole’s impacts are expected to affect most of Florida and portions of the southeast United States.

Evacuations were ordered or recommended in several communities on Florida’s east coast, severspanl spanirports — including Orlspanndo — spannnounced they would be closed, and both Disney World spannd Universspanl will be closing some things ahead of the anticipated hurricane.

Where is Tropical Storm Nicole now?

Here is the latest data on Tropical Storm Nicole pulled from the National Hurricane Center’s 1 p.m. advisory.

• Location: 208 miles east of Port St. Lucie
• Maximum sustained winds: 70 mph
• Movement: west at 12 mph
• Pressure: 985 MB (millibars)
• When next advisory will be released: 4 p.m.

At 1 p.m., the center of Tropical Storm Nicole was located 208 miles east of Port St. Lucie.

Nicole is moving toward the west near 12 mph. A turn toward the west-northwest is expected tonight, followed by a turn toward the northwest on Thursday, and north or north-northeast on Friday.

Now it’s serious: Jim Cspanntore spotted in Dspanytonspan Bespanch spanrespan spans Tropicspanl Storm Nicole spanpprospanches

What we know:Tropicspanl Storm Nicole to mspanke Floridspan lspanndfspanll spans span hurricspanne

WeatherTiger:Tropicspanl Storm Nicole: A threspant brespankdown of wind, rspanin spannd surge from span bizspanrre storm

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move near or over the Abacos and Grand Bahama in the northwestern Bahamas this afternoon and move onshore the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area tonight.

Nicole’s center is then expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and then across the Carolinas Friday and Friday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph, with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected today, and Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane near the northwestern Bahamas and remain a hurricane when it reaches the east coast of Florida tonight.

Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday through Friday, and it is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday night over the Mid-Atlantic states.

Nicole is a large tropical storm. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 460 miles, especially to the north of the center.  A private weather station on Elbow Cay, just east of Great Abaco Island, recently reported sustained winds of 43 mph  and a wind gust of 59 mph. The National Ocean Service station at the Lake Worth Pier, Florida, recently reported a wind gust of 59 mph.

How far is Tropical Storm Nicole from the Treasure Coast?

What does Nicole’s cone of uncertainty represent?

The cone of uncertainty, posted by the National Hurricane Center, shows some possible paths of the storm’s center. As you monitor the forecast, keep in mind that the impact of Nicole may be felt well outside the cone — and that storm tracks go outside of the cone about a third of the time.

As of the latest advisory, tropical-storm-force winds extend 460  miles from the center of Nicole.

Spaghetti models: Track Nicole here

Watches and warnings issued for the Treasure Coast

All watches and warnings in effect

A hurricane warning is in effect for:

• The Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, and Grand Bahama Island in the northwestern Bahamas
• Boca Raton to Flagler/Volusia County Line

A tropical storm warning is in effect for:

• Bimini in the northwestern Bahamas
• Hallandale Beach Florida to Boca Raton 
• Flagler/Volusia County Line Florida to South Santee River South Carolina
• North of Bonita Beach to Indian Pass 
• Lake Okeechobee

A storm surge warning is in effect for:

• North Palm Beach Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia
• Mouth of the St. Johns River to Georgetown 
• Anclote River Florida to Ochlockonee River 

A  hurricane watch is in effect for:

• Hallandale Beach to Boca Raton 
• Lake Okeechobee

A storm surge watch is in effect for:

• South of North Palm Beach to Hallandale Beach 
• Altamaha Sound Georgia to South Santee River South Carolina
• Anclote River Florida to Indian Pass 

Potential impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole

Wind: Tropical storm conditions are occurring across the northwestern Bahamas, and hurricane conditions are expected to spread westward in areas in hurricane warning area through this evening.

Tropical storm conditions are also occurring along portions of the east coast of Florida and will spread northward within the warning area through Georgia and South Carolina today and tonight.

Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area in Florida tonight or Thursday morning. Hurricane conditions are possible within the hurricane watch area tonight. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area along the west coast of Florida by this evening or tonight.

Storm surge: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

•  North Palm Beach Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia including the St. Johns River to the Fuller Warren Bridge…3 to 5 ft
•  Anclote River to Ochlockonee River…3 to 5 ft
•  Altamaha Sound Georgia to the South Santee River South Carolina…2 to 4 ft
•  St. Johns River south of the Fuller Warren Bridge to Georgetown Florida…2 to 4 ft
•  Hallandale Beach to North Palm Beach…2 to 4 ft
•  Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass…2 to 4 ft
•  Englewood to Anclote River including Tampa Bay…1 to 3 ft
•  North of Ocean Reef to Hallandale Beach including Biscayne Bay…1 to 2 ft
•  South Santee River to Surf City North Carolina…1 to 2 ft

Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast of the northwestern Bahamas in areas of onshore winds.

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

Rain: Nicole is expected to produce the following rainfall amounts through Friday night:

• Northwest Bahamas into the eastern, central and northern portions of the Florida Peninsula: 3 to 5 inches with local amounts up to 8 inches.
• Southeast into the southern and central Appalachians, western Mid-Atlantic, and eastern portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio: 2 to 4 inches with local amounts up to 6 inches along the Blue Ridge.
• Northern Mid-Atlantic into portions of New England: 1 to 4 inches.

Flash and urban flooding will be likely, along with possible renewed river rises on the St. John’s River, across the Florida Peninsula today into Thursday. Heavy rainfall from this system will spread northward across portions of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and New York Thursday into Friday night, where flooding impacts will be possible.

Tornadoes: A few tornadoes are possible this evening through Thursday across eastern Florida, southeastern Georgia, and southern South Carolina.

Surf: Large swells generated by Nicole will affect the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida, and much of the southeastern United States coast during the next several days. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Helpful hurricane resources and links

Get your home ready: Here’s how to prepspanre your home for span hurricspanne, from well in spandvspannce to just before span storm’s spanrrivspanl

Need to prepare for a hurricane? Here’s whspant you should hspanve in span disspanster supply kit

Hurricane preparedness list: If span storm is coming, here is whspant you need to do now

Video: Helpful tips for span hurricspanne survivspanl kit

Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones: Whspant’s spann invest spannd why do they keep sspanying tropicspanl cyclone?

Officials encourage residents to assemble a hurricane kit early, storing enough supplies to last at least three days. Doing so ensures there are adequate supplies available on store shelves and prevents a rush — and shortages — that regularly occur when a storm is imminent.