Tropical Storm Nicole To Hit Eastern PA With Downpours, Strong Wind

EASTERN PA — Tropical Storm Nicole is whipping up the coast from Florida and is expected to hit the greater Philadelphia region by Friday, forecasters said.

Bouts of heavy rain, powerful winds, and possible flooding could all hit the region throughout the day Friday, according to the National Weather Service. There is still some variability in the forecast in terms of how strong the wind and rain could be, and precisely when it will hit.

"The exact track of Nicole as it is pulled northward will determine where the worst of the impacts will be in the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker said.

Rainfall is expected to begin earlier Friday and could continue throughout the day and into the night, the National Weather Service said. The agency expects the strongest winds in the afternoon and evening.

Things look like they'll clear up by Saturday, however, with mostly sunny skies forecasted.

Nicole will unleash damaging winds as early as Wednesday afternoon as it nears landfall in Florida, according to AccuWeather. Tropical-storm-force gusts ranging between 40-60 mph will extend over 500,000 miles, from west of Bermuda to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, with 60-80 mph gusts near and just north of Nicole's eye. Nicole will arrive just weeks after Hurricane Ian battered the region.

Flooding is possible, but officials don't believe it will be extensive.

"This should not cause widespread flooding issues," the office's forecast discussion said Wednesday morning. "However, if higher rain rates with embedded thunderstorms occur especially over urban areas, then we could see localized flooding."

Here's the National Weather Service's latest forecast for the greater Philadelphia area:

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 58. East wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday

Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. High near 70. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Friday night

Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 4am, then rain likely. Low around 60. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Saturday night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Josh Bakan