Nicole weakens to Tropical Storm
Tropical Storm Nicole slowed after making landfall in the US state of Florida, meteorologists said, with high winds raising concerns that a long-delayed NASA rocket launch could be disrupted.
The storm, a rare occurrence this late in the year, sparked mandatory evacuation orders just weeks after Florida was battered by Hurricane Ian.
But just an hour after Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement.
The NHC said Nicole was packing sustained maximum winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour and heading towards Georgia and South Carolina, which would also be affected.
The storm could also possibly hit Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York later in the week, it said.
Nicole passed over the Bahamas, with the level of destruction not immediately clear.
A tropical storm warning was issued for Florida's eastern coast from the city of Boca Raton to the boundary between Flagler and Volusia counties, the NHC said.
"Strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves, and heavy rains continue over a large area," it said.
Forty-five of the state's 67 counties were under a state of emergency, Governor Ron DeSantis said, while four counties were under mandatory evacuation orders, according to the state's Division of Emergency Management.
More than 100,000 customers in the affected areas were without electricity.
The death toll from Ian, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States, stands at more than 100 in Florida alone.
