Florida, Bahamas on Hurricane Watch as Subtropical Storm Nicole Approaches

Florida is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Ian, but it may be facing another storm soon. Subtropical Storm Nicole formed in the waters east of the Northwest Bahamas on Monday morning and it will pass near the northwestern Bahamas first before making landfall in Florida.

Nicole is expected to grow stronger in the coming days and will become a Category 1 hurricane when it approaches Florida's east coast around late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to CNN.

November hurricanes are rare, with the last one happening in 1985 with Hurricane Kate. However, CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller noted that warmer-than-normal ocean waters "will allow strengthening as the system develops and could lead to the formation of a November hurricane."

Nicole Expected to Be a 'Very Large Storm'

Forecasters believe that people in Florida will not start to see any significant impacts from Nicole until Tuesday night to Wednesday, avoiding disrupting voting on Election Day.

However, that may be the least of Floridians' worries as hurricane specialist Phillippe Papin told The Associated Press that Nicole is expected to be a "very large storm, with a very large wind field on the north side."

Papin warned that the winds will cause substantial surf and a potentially dangerous storm surge in the eastern coast of Florida. Heavy rainfall and significant winds are also expected over a large area.

The National Hurricane Center said a hurricane watch is now in effect along the east coast of Florida, from the Volusia/Brevard county line to Hallandale Beach.

It extends from north of Miami to the Space Coast and includes Fort Lauderdale, Cape Canaveral, West Palm Beach, and Melbourne. Experts warned that a storm surge is expected from Broward County to halfway up Georgia's coast.

A hurricane warning is also in effect for northwestern Bahamas, the first area that Nicole is expected to hit. The National Hurricane Center warned that several islands, including the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, and Grand Bahama Island are in its path.

It will hit Andros Island, New Providence, and Eleuthera as a tropical storm, and a storm warning is already in effect on those areas. It could reach the Bahamas by early Monday.

Subtropical Storm Nicole's Path Mapped

According to The Weather Channel, Nicole will continue its general westward track toward the Bahamas and Florida through midweek.

It will continue to curl north near or over Florida before getting picked up by a cold front that will make the storm to turn northeastward over the Southeast states or its adjacent coastal waters late this week.

Nicole is expected to be a large system with impacts spreading far from its center. The heaviest rain is expected in Florida starting Wednesday, and will spread north into parts of eastern Georgia and the Carolinas from Thursday until Saturday.

Coastal flooding along parts of the Southeast coast from Florida to the Carolinas are expected to happen as early as Tuesday. Nicole's center will approach early Thursday morning, and this will be when a storm surge is expected.

Aside from the storm surge, major beach erosion and some damage to infrastructure are also expected to happen along Florida's east coast and parts of the Georgia coast.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency for 34 counties in the storm's potential path. In a statement, De Santis said: "While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared and to listen to announcements from local emergency management officials."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Subtropical Storm Nicole Forms Northeast of Bahamas, Headed for Florida - From WFLA News Channel 8