Tropical Storm Nicole strengthens to tropical storm en route to Bahamas

Nicole strengthened to a tropical tempest Tuesday arsenic it churned toward the northwestern Bahamas and Florida's Atlantic coastline, forecasters said.

A scope of warnings and watches stay successful place. Many areas are inactive reeling from harm caused by Hurricane Ian, which deed Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast arsenic a Category 4 tempest successful precocious September, earlier dumping dense amounts of rainfall crossed overmuch of the cardinal portion of the state. Forecasters said dense rainfall could autumn connected areas inactive recovering from Ian's flooding.

Hurricane warnings were successful effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini and Grand Bahama Island, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said successful an advisory. Other areas of the Bahamas, including Andros Island, New Province and Eleuthera remained nether a tropical tempest warning.

Eliane Hall, who works astatine a edifice successful Great Abaco island, said determination were agelong lines astatine state stations and market stores arsenic radical prepared for the storm's arrival.

"We conscionable boarded it up," she said of the hotel, adding that the interaction of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 tempest that struck successful 2019, was inactive caller successful galore people's minds. "We're inactive affected."

Authorities said they were particularly acrophobic astir those present surviving successful astir 100 motorhomes successful Grand Bahama aft Dorian destroyed their homes, and astir the migrant assemblage successful Great Abaco's March Harbor that Russell said has grown from 50 acres (20 hectares) to 200 acres (81 hectares) since Dorian. The erstwhile assemblage of Haitian migrants was among the hardest deed by the 2019 tempest fixed the ample fig of flimsy structures successful which galore lived.

The hurricane halfway said the storm's way shifted somewhat northbound overnight, but the nonstop way remains uncertain arsenic it approaches Florida, wherever it is expected to marque landfall arsenic a Category 1 hurricane precocious Wednesday oregon aboriginal Thursday.

On Tuesday morning, hurricane warnings were issued for a ample information of Florida's Atlantic Coast, from Boca Raton to northbound of Daytona Beach. Tropical tempest warnings are successful spot for different parts of the Florida coast, each the mode to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. The informing country besides stretches inland, covering Florida's Lake Okeechobee, with tropical tempest watches successful effect connected the state's Gulf Coast — from Bonita Beach successful southwest Florida to the Ochlockonee River successful the Panhandle.

Bevin said the tempest has a "very ample cyclonic envelope," meaning that adjacent if it makes landfall on the cardinal Florida coastline, the effects volition beryllium felt arsenic acold northbound arsenic Georgia.

However, the tempest was not expected to person immoderate interaction connected voting successful Florida connected Tuesday, Bevin said.

Officials successful the Bahamas opened much than 2 twelve shelters crossed the archipelago connected Tuesday arsenic they closed schools and authorities offices successful Abaco, Bimini, the Berry Islands and Grand Bahama.

Authorities warned that airports and seaports volition adjacent arsenic the tempest nears and not reopen until Thursday, and they urged radical successful shantytowns to question unafraid shelter.

Communities successful Abaco are expected to person a nonstop deed from Nicole arsenic they inactive conflict to retrieve from Dorian.

"We don't person clip to beg and plead for persons to move," said Capt. Stephen Russell, exigency absorption authorization director.

At 10 a.m., the tempest was astir 350 miles (560 kilometers) east-northeast of the northwestern Bahamas and moving astatine 9 mph (15 kph), with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph).

The Atlantic hurricane play runs from June 1 done Nov. 30. The past tempest to deed Florida successful November was Tropical Storm Eta, which made landfall successful Cedar Key, connected the state's Gulf Coast, connected Nov. 12, 2020.