On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move near or over the Abacos and Grand Bahama in the northwestern Bahamas today and move onshore the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area tonight.
Nicole is likely to become a hurricane soon but, given the marginal dynamic and thermodynamic environment, significant strengthening seems unlikely.
Nicole is moving toward the west near 10 mph (17 km/h). A west-southwest motion is expected through early Wednesday. A westward to west-northwest motion is forecast to begin later on Wednesday, followed by a turn toward the northwest and north-northwest on Thursday and Thursday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected during the next 36 to 48 hours, and Nicole is forecast to be near or at hurricane strength by Wednesday and Wednesday night while it is moving near the northwestern Bahamas and approaching the east coast of Florida.
Nicole forecast to strengthen Tuesday night and Wednesday. Hurricane warning issued for portions of the northwestern Bahamas.
Nicole remains a subtropical storm as it begins to turn northwestward. Hurricane and storm surge watches issued for the east Florida coast.
Lots to talk about this Sunday morning with clouds, a few showers, warm temperatures, and a swap to colder by next weekend. And a possible tropical storm affecting the Southeast Coast of the U.S. later this week. It will stay well to our southeast and east here in Alabama.
A trough is bringing heavy rain to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Virgin Islands, and the associated low is expected to grow larger as it moves over the southwestern Atlantic and moves west through midweek.
As of 10:20 am, much of the western-third of Central Alabama is seeing rain and a few embedded claps of thunder, and that activity is now encroaching into the central portions of the area.
