Nicole prompts school, road closures across Florida, coastal Georgia and South Carolina
Hurricane Nicole is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and bring periods of heavy rain, wind and coastal flooding to Florida. County and city officials have announced road and beach closures ahead of Nicole's arrival.
South Carolina prepares for flooding, rain from Nicole
Officials across coastal South Carolina have announced school closures as Nicole is expected to head north bringing flooding to the Southeast. FOX Weather correspondent Will Nunley is in Charleston where the community is preparing for Nicole.
Across Florida and the Southeast, campuses, airports and theme parks are closing as Hurricane Nicole is set to make landfall along the east coast of Florida.
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Impacts from Nicole will shift north later this week bringing heavy rain and flooding into Georgia and the Carolinas. Officials have already begun announcing closures in southeast Georgia and South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Florida is preparing for Nicole's landfall expected later Wednesday into Thursday and officials have been announcing closures since Tuesday.
Here are the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina airports, beaches, roads and schools that have closed or are planning to close ahead of the storm. All times are Eastern.
Which airports are closed due to Hurricane Nicole?
FILE - A Delta Air Lines Inc. plane taxis at Tampa International Airport (TPA).
(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Several airports across the Florida Peninsula have announced changes to operations ahead of Nicole's arrival. Here's the status of the major airports.
- Daytona Beach International Airport - Closed. Scheduled to reopen on Friday at 4 a.m.
- Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) – Open.
- Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) – Closed.
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Closed.
- Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) - Closed.
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) - Closed.
- Miami International Airport (MIA) - Open.
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) – Open.
Nicole is expected to disrupt flights in the Southeast. Travelers should check with their airlines before heading to the airport.
What beaches are closed due to Hurricane Nicole?
Palm Beach County parks and beaches will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Beaches in Flagler County and St. Lucie County closed on Tuesday.
Boca Raton beaches closed on Wednesday.
Pompano Beach facilities closed on Wednesday and will reopen on Thursday.
A lifeguard sets up a flag warning beachgoers of rip currents in Palm Beach, Florida.
(Brandy Campbell / FOX Weather)
Florida theme parks announce closures
Most theme parks in Central Florida continued to operate normally Wednesday with some changes.
Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay water park closed Wednesday due to Hurricane Nicole.
The rest of the theme park's locations, including Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk are now closed.
Universal Orlando Resort will reopen Thursday in a phased or delayed capacity on Thursday once park officials assess the conditions.
Crowds pack and fill Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida on June 1, 2022.
(Joseph Prezioso / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
Walt Disney World Resort theme parks are closed through Thursday morning.
Animal Kingdom: Closed.
Hollywood Studios: Closed.
Magic Kingdom: Closed. Extended evening hours are also canceled.
EPCOT: Closed.
Walt Disney World Water Parks and Miniature Golf locations will be closed on Thursday, including Winter Summerland Miniature Golf, Fantasia Gardens and Fairways Miniature Golf.
What roads and bridges are closed due to Hurricane Nicole?
A semi-truck drives over the temporary bridge leading to Pine Island, Florida.
(FOX Weather)
Flooding from Nicole has restricted access to certain beach-side communities along Florida's east coast.
These bridges have been shut down due to Hurricane Nicole (from north to south) :
- The bridges that cross the Intracoastal Waterway in Volusia County have closed in both directions.
- Daytona Beach - Seabreeze Bridge eastbound and Main Street Bridge eastbound going over Halifax Road have been closed. International Speedway Boulevard Bridge eastbound and Veterans Memorial Bridge (Silver Beach Ave) eastbound going over Halifax River have been closed, as well.
- Port Orange - Dunlawton Bridge eastbound going over Halifax Road has been closed.
- New Smyrna Beach - To marine traffic, the North Causeway Bridge is locked down.
King Tides combine with the storm surge flooding Ft. Lauderdale
Higher than normal high tides after Tuesday's full moon plus Nicole's storm surge flooded Ft. Lauderdale.
Here are the road closures as of Wednesday night (from north to south):
- St. Johns-Flagler County line - State Road A1A is also experiencing flooding due to Nicole.
- Flagler Beach - All lanes are blocked on SR A1A in both directions from S. 7th St. to S. 16th St.
- Fort Pierce - Flooding closed down S Ocean Drive Southbound between Seaway Dr. and Binney Dr.
- St. Lucie County - Storm surge breached sea walls in several areas on Wednesday, such as areas along Indian River Drive. Access is limited to residents only.
- Martin County - Martin County Fire Rescue reports MacArthur Boulevard is flooded due to shoreline breaches and drivers should be cautious.
- Palm Beach - Flooding closed down SR-A1A northbound between Ibis Way and Via Agape.
- Boynton Beach - Flooding closed down E Ocean Ave in both directions at Intracoastal Waterway.
- Fort Lauderdale - Flooding closed down E Oakland Park Blvd Westbound at Intracoastal Waterway and SE 9th St. to SE 11th St. along Cordova Rd. Floods have also shut down SR-A1A sSouthbound from Viramar St. to Auramar St. and from NE 15th St. south to Bayshore Dr. and .
- Hollywood - Flooding closed down N Ocean Dr. in both directions at Sheridan St and at Michigan St.
What schools are closed due to Hurricane Nicole?
Dozens of schools, school districts, universities and colleges across the Florida Peninsula have called-off classes because of Hurricane Nicole.
Most school leaders have opted to close early on Wednesday and remain closed through Friday.
FOX 35 Orlando has a list of school closings across Central Florida, while WSVN-TV in Miami has a list of school closings in South Florida.
As Hurricane Warnings and Watches have extended throughout Florida, more school districts have announced closures for Thursday.
Indian River County Schools closed ahead of Nicole
David Moore, Superintendent of Indian River County Schools, talks about how the school district is bracing for Nicole.
Leon County School District, which includes Tallahassee will be closed on Thursday.
Classes at Tallahassee Community College are canceled for Thursday, and all campuses will be closed.
In Southwest Florida, where many are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, several school districts plan to close.
Charlotte, Collier and Lee public schools will be closed Thursday.
School closures and early dismissals in southwest Georgia can be found on a list by FOX 31. Along coastal southeast Georgia, Liberty County Schools will be closed on Thursday, and Glynn and McIntosh County Schools will be closed Thursday and Friday.
In South Carolina, Charleston County schools and offices in the downtown peninsula of Charleston will be closed on Thursday due to potential flooding. Students will switch to remote learning for the day.
Beaufort County, South Carolina offices will be closed Friday and the county has canceled its Veterans Day parade on Friday. County schools in Beaufort, which includes Hilton Head, will move to remote learning on Thursday.
Schools in Hampton and Jasper Counties will move to remote learning on both Thursday and Friday.