Thursday, November 10th at 4pm
The Florida Highway Patrol reported winds had eased enough to reopen the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Thursday, November 10, 1:00 p.m.
The National Weather Service has suspended tropical storm observations for the region from central south of Longboat Key north through the Manatee County coastline to near Point St. Joe. Sustained winds hovered in the high 20s throughout the morning and afternoon, reaching 32 mph at 9am. The gust peaked at 8am and was 51 mph. About 1.35 inches of rain fell since midnight.
November 10 (Thursday) 11:00 a.m.
Florida Power and Light reports that more than 5,000 customers in Sarasota County are without electricity, but about the same number have already been restored. FPL reported this morning on its blackout map webpage that 5,010 of the 287,000 county homes and businesses lost power around 11 a.m. and 5,480 that had previously lost power had been restored.
A man aboard a trimaran sailing vessel works with the crew onshore to secure a ship that has hit the breakwater at Hart’s Landing. (Eric Garwood)
In Manatee County, 1,910 people have been discharged and 9,170 have recovered.
November 10 (Thursday) 8:30 am
Thursday morning, northbound traffic will cross the intersection of US 301 and Ringling Boulevard. (Eric Garwood)
As Hurricane Nicol moved northwest through central Florida, gusts of wind reached nearly 50 mph at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport Thursday morning.
At 6:53 a.m., the airport’s weather station recorded the highest hourly gust of 46 mph with a sustained wind of 29. After 1 hour, the sustained wind was up to 30 and the maximum hourly gust was 43. A gust of 43 mph was recorded early in the morning.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported at 7:18 a.m. that the Sunshine Skyway between Pinellas and Manatee Counties was closed to traffic in both directions due to 50 mph winds.
About an inch of rain started at the airport around midnight. The flight left from SRQ this morning, but at least he was two flights late.
Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach at around 3am as a Category 1 hurricane. By 7 a.m., the center of the storm was about 50 miles east of Tampa, with winds of 60 mph.
(via National Hurricane Center)
Wednesday, November 9, 3:30 p.m.
Operations on the wreckage of Hurricane Ian in the unincorporated area of Sarasota County were immediately suspended because the predicted gusts from Tropical Storm Nicole exceeded safe operational speeds.
Similarly, the city of Sarasota announced a moratorium on rubbish collection within its borders.
County added:
- Public rubbish dumps are closed.
- Debris collection operations and public drop-off sites will remain closed until Thursday.
- Weather permitting, the debris collection and public drop-off sites are expected to resume operations on Friday.
- Unincorporated Sarasota County trash, recycling, and yard trash collection will continue as scheduled.
Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources are canceling reservations for outdoor and athletic fields for tonight and Thursday.
The Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center continues to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole. Sarasota County Government offices will be open during normal business hours on Thursday. As scheduled prior to Veterans Day, county offices will be closed on Friday, November 11th.
Also, county transportation options are offloaded on Thursdays. Sarasota County Transit Bus, SCATPlus, On-Demand, and Siesta Key Breeze Trolley Services will resume normal service on Friday.
Wednesday, November 9, 1:45 p.m.
All Manatee County school districts will be closed Thursday. Winds are forecast to reach 40 mph in Manatee County. Buses cannot run when sustained winds reach 35 mph.
Schools will continue to be closed on November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.
Students won’t have to make up for lost time, with an extra 30 minutes added to each school day as a result of the 1 mil property tax referendum.
Wednesday, November 9, 1:25 p.m.
Public schools in Sarasota County will be closed Thursday, according to a school district statement. The regular class schedule will resume on Friday.
The school district cited forecasts of winds of 35 mph or more across the county on Thursday, related to Tropical Storm Nicole, which was expected to intensify into a hurricane by making landfall.
Wednesday, November 9, 12:50
All Faiths Food Bank’s scheduled turkey distribution set at Ed Smith Stadium this afternoon has been postponed until Thursday, November 17th.
The second large turkey distribution will take place on Saturday, November 19th from 9-11am at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
Distribution at Venice Middle School has been postponed until Thursday, November 17, from 5-6pm, and Lamarck Elementary School has postponed distribution until further notice.
Community members are encouraged to visit the All Faiths Food Bank website for the latest distribution information. Thanks to funds raised through his annual ThankFULL campaign, All Faiths Food Bank plans to distribute 13,000 turkeys and his 3.6 million holiday meals to the Sarasota community this year.
Wednesday, November 9, 11:30 am
Manatee County opened Freedom Elementary School at 9515 U.S. Route 64 at 10 a.m. on November 9 to serve as a “safe haven.”
Pet-friendly shelters are open for residents who want to voluntarily evacuate their homes if they believe their homes may be in danger as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, according to a news release.
The shelter is also open to residents of mobile homes and manufactured homes.
“People know their homes,” said county administrator Scott Hopes. “I want to assure them that if their roof or home is damaged, they will have a place to survive Tropical Storm Nicole.
A decision on whether the Manatee County School District will close schools on November 10 will be made on Wednesday.
Manatee County declared a state of emergency on November 8 as Tropical Storm Nicole approached Florida.
November 9 (Wednesday) 9:00 a.m.
Tropical storm gales of 39 mph or more are likely to reach Sarasota and Manatee counties later Wednesday as Nicole builds up in the Atlantic and closes the gap to Florida’s southeast coast.
Nicole, with sustained 70 mph winds, is about 240 miles east of West Palm Beach this morning, heading west-southwest at about 13 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center’s official forecast track shows that the center of the storm will make landfall around 1 a.m. Thursday, moving northwest through the center of the state and appearing in the Gulf of Mexico, just north of Tampa Bay. .
Projected to reach hurricane strength before making landfall, Nicole has a wide wind range, capable of delivering winds of at least tropical cyclone intensity over much of the peninsula. The Sarasota manatee can experience strong winds from the coast to the interior.
Manatee and Sarasota counties are currently under tropical storm warnings. Storm surge forecasts at the National Hurricane Center show that as the center of the storm approaches the Gulf Coast and winds move toward the coast, it could be 1 to 3 feet from the Ancrote River to Inglewood.
Tuesday, November 8th at 3:45pm
A Sarasota County school official said this afternoon that classes will continue as normal on Wednesdays, but that all after-school activities must end at 5 p.m.
Tropical Storm Nicole is heading for landfall on Florida’s east coast early Thursday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. Although better organized, the storm is still a broad system with winds of at least 39 miles per hour extending hundreds of miles from the center of circulation.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts 2 to 4 inches of possible rain in Sarasota Manatee County with a 30% to 50% chance of a tropical storm, increasing further inland. According to the National Hurricane Center, storm surges of up to 1 to 3 feet may have occurred from the Ancrote River near Pasco County to central Longboat Key. In eastern Florida, we could see up to 5 feet.
Sarasota County, Sarasota County Schools, the city of Sarasota and the town of Longboat Key all issued statements Tuesday afternoon indicating that authorities are monitoring the storm’s progress. Sarasota County schools said further updates on potential schedule changes and closures will be made Wednesday. Longboat Key officials also said an update is expected Wednesday morning .
Tuesday, November 8 at 9:00 am
Sarasota and Manatee counties are included in the extended tropical storm observations, which extend from Bonita Beach in southwestern Florida to points south of Tallahassee in connection with the occurrence of Subtropical Storm Nicole.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predict a Category 1 hurricane will make landfall along Florida’s east-central coast early Thursday morning, although it is much further north than predicted earlier this week.
Sarasota and Manatee counties are on the southern edge of the cone of official concern, but forecasters say Nicole’s wide winds and rain shields could bring severe weather here by Wednesday. It projects a 30% to 50% chance of a tropical storm of 39 mph or greater in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Monday, November 7, 2:45 p.m.
Sarasota had a state of emergency declared in 34 Florida counties ahead of a possible landfall of a hurricane on the state’s Atlantic coast.
The National Hurricane Center’s official intensity and track forecast shows a Category 1 storm approaching the coast near Fort Lauderdale late Wednesday before moving northwest toward Tampa Bay inland.
The Hurricane Center forecasts a nearly 50% chance of tropical storm winds of at least 39 mph in the Sarasota Manatee County area Wednesday afternoon.
At 2 p.m. Monday, subtropical storm Nicole was located 465 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas where Hurricane Watch was installed. Hurricane Watches were posted all over Lake Okeechobee along Florida’s east coast, from near Daytona Beach to Hallandale Beach in the south. A tropical storm warning is also posted on the East Coast.
No alerts or warnings have been posted on the west coast of Florida.
Sarasota County emergency management officials said in a release that the county is monitoring Nicole’s progress, but the road remains unclear.
As long as the Hurricane Ian debris removal is done, the county’s stance remains unchanged.
“Sarasota County Emergency Management continues to actively monitor Nicole for subtropical storms, and solid waste staff are working diligently with debris removal contractors to continue debris collection as planned. We are working on it,” the spokesperson wrote. “Debris should be left on the curb. If the situation changes, we will share an update.”
In declaring a state of emergency, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to stay informed and be prepared to act if necessary.
“At this time, we do not expect this storm to get any stronger, but we strongly encourage all Floridians to be prepared and to heed any announcements from their local emergency management authorities,” he said. mentioned in the release. “We will continue to monitor the trajectory and intensity of this storm as it moves toward Florida.”
