A hurricane watch is now in effect Monday for all of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast as Subtropical Storm Nicole pushes west toward the Sunshine State.
According to the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Nicole is located 495 miles east of the Bahamas and has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, moving northwest at 9 miles per hour.
The storm is now forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour as it nears the east coast of South Florida.
Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast are in Nicole’s cone of uncertainty.
According to multiple models, the storm is expected to make landfall somewhere between Miami and the Space Coast on Wednesday night around midnight.
The NHC said Nicole will approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, move near or over those islands on Wednesday, and approach the east coast of Florida by Wednesday night.
The storm could be at or near hurricane strength by Wednesday or Wednesday night, according to the NHC.
According to the report, conditions will eventually improve by late Friday.
A hurricane watch is in effect for:
- Northwestern Bahamas
- East Coast of Florida from the Volusia/Brevard County Line to Hallandale Beach
A tropical storm watch is in effect for:
- Lake Okeechobee
- Altamaha Sound southward to Volusia/Brevard County Line
- Hallandale Beach to north of Ocean Reef
A storm surge watch is in effect for:
- Altamaha Sound to Hallandale Beach