Photo: WPEC
Subtropical Storm Nicole is located about 400 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas and is beginning to strengthen with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph moving northwest at 8 mph.
Steered by high pressure over the eastern United States, Nicole will continue to move west early Tuesday and approach the east coast of Florida by Thursday. Tropical storm force winds will arrive by early Wednesday. After landfall along the east coast, the area of high pressure is expected to move off into the Atlantic as a trough moves in behind it. This will cause Nicole to make a curve to the north once it passes over the state.
Nicole is currently subtropical in nature, but as it is expected to strengthen, we could see it take on more tropical characteristics and even gain hurricane strength as it approaches the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.