Nicole downgraded to tropical storm; first responders making assessments
Hurricane Nicole – now a weakened tropical storm - slammed ashore North Hutchinson Island, in Fort Pierce, just south of Vero Beach overnight Thursday before whipping through the Space Coast, downing trees, flooding some roadways and pounding an already eroded shoreline.
Nearly 90,000 FPL customers – or one out of four clients - were left without power and internet in Brevard as the storm began its northward track through Central Florida.
Tropical Storm Nicole – with its winds extending out 460 miles from its center - remained centered over Polk County as of 7 a.m., still stirring up a dangerous storm surge and rough surf, according to the National Weather Service.
By sunrise, patrol officers and firefighters across Brevard braved the tropical winds for quick assessments of damage, including downed lights and roadway flooding. There were no immediate reports of severe damage earlier Thursday, outside of fallen trees, downed power lines, fallen fences. and signs toppled by the wind.
In Cocoa Beach, fire department crews were without power at their 50 Orlando Ave. station. Crew members remained in place as Nicole's wind grew to a howl overnight.
"We haven't been able to get out to do our preliminary assessment. We do believe we have quite a bit of wind damage but we are waiting for the winds to get down into the high 30s before we head out there," said Deputy Chief Justin Grimes of the Cocoa Beach Fire Department.
“We lost power and had some damage to the exterior of the statement but we will be heading out as soon as the winds die down.”
Nicole arrived onshore about 3 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a minimal Category 1 hurricane as the eye of the large storm passed over Martin, Indian River and Brevard counties.
“Overnight we were receiving some reports of coastal flooding, a lot of erosion even prior to the storm’s arrival,” said Brandan Schaper, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
“What we’re telling folks is that this storm is still very real and that we have tropical storm gusts.”
Hardest hit by the rains were Melbourne, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island, where weather officials estimate three to four inches of rain fell along already saturated grounds. There were concerns about structures and beach access points in oceanside towns like Satelite Beach and Cocoa Beach, with some minor flooding and erosion being reported before Nicole's onshore arrival.
Further to the north in Brevard, multiple squall lines whipped through the area, bringing heavy rain and wind gusts of over 60 mph.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne recorded peak wind gusts of 67 mph at Patrick Space Force Base, 70 mph in Melbourne, 73 mph at Playalinda Beach, just north of the Kennedy Space Center where the Artemis 1 rocket – part of Nasa’s mission to return to the moon - sits on a launch pad.
More: All 16 Satellite Beach public dune crossovers damaged, shut down by Tropical Storm Nicole
More: Tropical Storm Nicole: Watch live from NASA's Kennedy Space Center as storm approaches Florida
J.D. Gallop is a Criminal Justice/Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Hurricane Nicole slammed ashore, whipping through Brevard, Central Florida
