Mandatory evacuations were set for numerous coastal Florida counties Tuesday, as the state prepares for Tropical Storm Nicole to make landfall early Wednesday morning.
Nicole is expected to hit Florida at about 1 a.m. Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The NHC tweeted that parts of Florida and Georgia would start to see tropical storm conditions, such as storm surges and strong winds, early Wednesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, parts of Volusia County, which surrounds the greater Daytona Beach area, were the first to receive evacuation orders. The order is set to take effect at 9 a.m. Wednesday and must be done by 4 p.m.
There were also some mandatory evacuation zones ordered in Flagler County, which is north of Volusia. According to the Miami Herald, there are evacuation zones along the coast, in Brevard and Palm Beach counties.
The state's Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) issued a state of emergency in 34 counties on Tuesday. The agency announced that it was "closely monitoring" the storm, and added that it was continuing to support Floridians recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Ian.
The Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) said that it is preparing for widespread power outages ahead of the tropical storm, stating that "following Hurricane Ian's widespread destruction just a few weeks ago, Nicole has the potential to topple storm-weakened trees throughout FPL's service area, especially in the western and central part of Florida."