Lee County braces for Tropical Storm Nicole, potential hurricane
Just one month after incurring devastating damage from Hurricane Ian, Lee County is bracing for Nicole, a possible Category 1 hurricane that could strike the East Coast of the state as early as Wednesday and move west.
Nicole is currently classified as a subtropical storm approximately 455 miles east of the Bahamas, National Hurricane Center meteorologist Maria Torres said. The storm could turn into a hurricane with winds as strong as 75 miles per hour late Wednesday or early Thursday on the East Coast of Florida before shifting inland.
“People should start preparing and have ended preparations by Wednesday when we will start seeing tropical storm force winds,” Torres said.
The National Hurricane Center currently projects Nicole to potentially reach Category 1 hurricane status, which would be below the 150 mile per hour winds that Category 4 Hurricane Ian brought but could still bring flooding and wind damage and increase damage to homes with damaged roofs, windows and other exposure from Hurricane Ian.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting Nicole to be a tropical storm if it stays on the current path and reaches Lee County with meteorologist Tyler Fleming saying Lee County is within the cone of uncertainty. Fleming said the National Weather Service is predicting a 50% chance of Nicole turning into a tropical storm that strikes Lee County Wednesday with storms of 50 miles per hour or more.
Fleming said there could be two to six inches of rain in Lee County, with a potential for flooding.
“People with roof damage should be on the lookout for water incursions,” Fleming said.
Lee County Public Safety-Emergency Management announced Monday afternoon that it is actively monitoring Tropical Storm Nicole. The Emergency Operations Center remains activated from Hurricane Ian.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy said he was expecting to receive updates at a meeting this afternoon with local and county officials.
To reach NATHAN MAYBERG, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com