On video: huge waves hit the coast of Florida ahead of Hurricane Nicole (Reuters)
Hurricane Nicole weakened to a tropical storm this morning (Thursday), shortly after hitting the east coast of Florida with heavy rains and strong winds, according to a report from the National Weather Service of the United States.
The area is still recovering from Hurricane Ian which hit the area in late September.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the area that includes the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
But this morning the hurricane weakened from category 1 to a tropical storm.
The storm is now moving inland.
Nicole made landfall on Florida's east coast at 3 a.m. EST with sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) that later weakened to 75 mph (112 km/h).
The hurricane center issued storm surge warnings along the entire coast and warned that the waves could wash away the beaches and also flood low-lying areas inland.
Storm Nicole is not expected to be as powerful as Hurricane Ian, which hit the Florida coast as a Category 4 storm.
However, according to authorities, Nicole still poses a significant threat to buildings and infrastructure.
Authorities have opened 15 emergency shelters throughout the region.
600 National Guard soldiers are on standby, as well as 1,600 infrastructure workers.
More than a dozen schools were closed and more are expected to be closed later today.
Orlando International Airport announced the suspension of commercial flights.
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