ATLANTA — Nicole strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday and made landfall in Florida before being downgraded to a tropical storm after moving over land. The storm was downgraded once again to a Tropical Depression during the 10 p.m. advisory. The track for the storm has it moving north toward the panhandle then moving into south Georgia early Friday morning. In north Georgia, we will also see impacts of the storm.
Keep up with the 11Alive StormTrackers over the next 48 hours to see updates, closures and any advisories or warnings in our area.
Live updates:
6 a.m. | The system is located south of Atlanta, but heavy bands of rain will be moving north, creating a headache for drivers during the morning commute.
11 p.m. | Chief Meteorologist Chris Holcomb provides the 11 p.m. Tropical Depression Nicole advisory:
10 p.m. | Nicole was downgraded to a Tropical Depression during the 10 p.m. advisory. The National Hurricane Center advisory said the storm was about 20 miles north of Tallahassee with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It was moving to the northwest at 15 mph.
6 p.m. | Chief Meteorologist Chris Holcomb provides an update on school closures in north Georgia with Thursday's 6 p.m. advisory:
5:05 p.m. | School closures in the state have been announced on Friday, Nov. 11 for the following counties:
- Rabun County Schools announced schools would be closed, but that 12-month employees should report to work at 10 a.m. "if it is safe to do so."
- White County Schools also announced school closures for Friday.
- Banks County Schools announced schools are closed and no extra-curricular activities will take place Friday.
- Habersham County Schools announced schools are closed for both students and staff.
11Alive will continue to update school closures throughout the state of Georgia. You can find a full list here.
5 p.m. | Chief Meteorologist Chris Holcomb provides a 5 p.m. advisory for Tropical Storm Nicole:
4:15 p.m. | Tropical Storm Nicole will continue to weaken as it travels inland, but north Georgia is still expected to be impacted by wind gusts of up to 40 mph. Those in the metro Atlanta area can expect roughly one to three inches of rainfall through the end of the day Friday. Southeast Georgia continue to remains on a severe threat due to the storm.
3:30 p.m. | Meteorologist Andrew Wilson tracks Nicole and provides an update on the weather in north Georgia.
1 p.m. | Some light showers are starting to move into north Georgia. It's going to get a lot stronger, though, as we head into the evening hours.
11:30 a.m. | Watch the live radar of Nicole:
10:30 a.m. | Sandy Springs police officers are reporting wires and trees down on Riverside Drive. They said a dead tree feel and that the road is shut down between Riverside Way and N. River Parkway.
10:24 a.m. | Reporters from our sister station at First Coast News have seen the intensity in the waves crashing in on the St. Simons coast pick up in the morning hours. James Grant posted video of the rough scene at Gould's Inlet just before 10:30 a.m.
8:15 a.m. | The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for all of Georgia, starting at 10 a.m. In the metro, we are likely to see 30-40 mph winds, they say, with a high wind warning issued in the south with forecasts of 50 mph winds.
6:30 a.m. | Reporters from our sister station at First Coast News saw wind and rain already picking up in the St. Simons Island area. Mekena Rodriguez captured video of waves crashing into what is supposed to be the beach area in front of the St. Simons Lighthouse.
James Grant said heavy rain was already coming down around 6 a.m. on the island.
MORE FROM THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS
DOWNLOAD THE 11ALIVE APP:
- Download the app on your Apple or Android device.
- Set up weather notifications by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right corner of the app. Select Notification -> Notification Settings -> Severe Weather Alerts -> Toggle the Severe Weather Alerts button to the right to turn alerts on.
- Send photos and videos through the app by selecting the Near Me feature on the bottom right task bar of the app and entering your information.
TEXT YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS TO US: 404-885-7600
JOIN THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS FACEBOOK GROUP: Nearly 10,000 metro Atlanta and north Georgia weather enthusiasts share their weather photos every day. Click here to join the group!