Hurricane Nicole (Tropical Storm) Blew Through

 

Above is what is left of Nicole, former Hurricane, now a Tropical Storm, soon to be a Tropical Depression, followed by just a rain storm.  Although we 'might' still get a few outer bands, it looks like the worse of it is done...and the worse was not that bad.

Around 10 pm last night, this is what Hurricane Nicole was projected to do.  Hit the Eastern Coast of Florida with winds of 75 mph (low level hurricane).  It hit between midnight and 1 am this morning.

At 3 pm this afternoon, it had moved through our area, and out into the gulf.  YES, we had winds of 50 mph for short time periods, but mostly the winds were in the 30 mph range.  The rain was rain...not heavy, and last night it was very light.  We can have storms move off the gulf through our area which seem to dump a good inch in like 10 minutes.  Today it was an inch in 60-90 minutes.

So, what did this storm do as it passed through.  Essentially, not much.  Public officials said, "There is nothing out of the ordinary (ordinary for storms) after Nicole passed through.  Many said that the storm was heavier than Hurricane Ian, which passed well south of us, but that this storm was really a non-issue.  In the pictures above, the one on the left I took Wednesday afternoon, the one on the right today in the afternoon.  Not much difference other than the water was choppier today.

Again, the one on the left was yesterday, the one on the right was today.

There was 'debris' from the storm...especially these old palm branches that were on the grass and out on the streets.  Some were moved out of the roadway, others still there for seldom used roads.

Down at the Sponge Docks Wednesday there was a fair crowd of people out enjoying the shops and restaurants.

Today, not a soul outside, and many shops were closed up.  Perhaps some of them will open up for service this evening...but will anyone come out to enjoy it if they do????

As I headed home I passed by Indy's Dog Park, and although you cannot see it in the picture, there was one person using the large dog area.  Of course, we are still concerned about the Canine Pneumovirus, so we have not been to the dog park for nearly a month now.  Perhaps all this wind and rain will blow the virus away and we can let her partake in the dog park again.

Bottom line, for friends and family who may have been concerned about the storm, we are fine...our motorhome is fine, our condo is fine, Indy is fine, and everything else in our area seems to be fine too.  This is most likely the last huge storm of the season, although technically the Hurricane Season lasts through the month of November.  The most recent November hurricane, before Nicole, which hit Florida was Kate, which struck the Florida panhandle on November 22, 1985, as a category 2 storm.  

I am impressed as to how Florida Officials prepare for, and handle these storms.  Pasco County (and surrounding counties) canceled school due to the hazardous conditions with the high winds associated with the storm.  Two people died in Orange County (think Disneyland area) due to electrical lines that they should have stayed away from.  Homes along the Atlantic had some damage, with a few falling into the Ocean, due to erosion and high waves.  But for the most part, all is well, though there is some flooding, especially on the east and central part of the state.