The gusty winds and heavy rain of Tropical Storm Nicole are creeping up the southeast coast after slamming Florida early Thursday morning. The storm made landfall just south of Vero Beach as a Category 1 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm as it tracked across central Florida, leading to the death of 2 people and knocking out power for over 200,000.
National Hurricane Center's Acting NHC Deputy Director, Michael Brennan, says it’s a matter of hours before the storm makes its way through Georgia and South Carolina, carrying with it the risk of flash flooding with it.
Wind gusts up to 40 mph and heavy rain are expected to roll into Athens sometime this evening.