Latest track sends Subtropical Storm Nicole right across NC

The latest track for Subtropical Storm Nicole sends the storm right across North Carolina later this week.

Nicole formed Monday and will bring heavy rain to N.C. by Friday. The storm on Tuesday was 400 northeast of the Bahamas.

WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said Nicole could be hurricane strength before it makes landfall along the coast of Florida late Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

The storm will move north, and Gardner said N.C. is “solidly in the forecast line.”

Breezy conditions and rain will be likely Thursday night, with the bulk of the rain falling all day Friday.

“N.C. could see rain from the storm very late Thursday, most of Friday and the first part of Saturday,” WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth said. “The highest rain totals will likely be along the coast.”

Up to 2 inches of rain will be likely in the Triangle, with 3-inch totals likely along and east of the Interstate 95 corridor. Up to 4 inches of rain will be possible at the coast.

If Nicole makes landfall in Florida as a hurricane, it would be only the 4th ever recorded to hit the U.S. in the month of November.

Hurricane watches and tropical storm watches are already in place from Florida to South Carolina.

Wilmoth explained N.C. will be impacted more by rain than by wind.

“This will be a rain event for central and eastern parts of N.C.,” Wilmoth said. “We could have some gusty winds, but the rain will be the biggest story as Nicole swings through the eastern part of the state late this week and early Saturday.”

A subtropical storm is very similar to a tropical storm in terms of its strength and impact, it is just structured differently at its core, Gardner explained.

Hurricane season officially extends through Nov. 30, although storms like this are more likely in September and October. Only three hurricanes have made landfall in the United States in the month of November since 1851.