Hurricane Nicole has made landfall on Florida's east coast, pummeling the state with powerful winds, a catastrophic storm surge, and heavy rainfall.

The uncommon November hurricane had already prompted officials to close airports and amusement parks and order evacuations, including the Mar-a-Lago club of former president Donald Trump.

Authorities have warned that Nicole's storm surge might severely destroy beaches that were damaged by Hurricane Ian in September. Later on Thursday and Friday, the massive storm is expected to move into Georgia and the Carolinas, dropping torrential rain across the region.

Thursday morning, the US National Hurricane Center reported that Nicole was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

In some directions, tropical-storm-force winds reached up to 485 miles from the center. On Thursday and into the evening, Nicole's center is predicted to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia, and then into the Carolinas on Friday.

Through early Thursday morning, a few tornadoes are possible from east-central to north-east Florida, according to the weather service.

As the St. Johns River continues to rise, flooding is anticipated over the Florida Peninsula on Thursday. Through Saturday, this system will bring heavy rain to sections of the southeast, the eastern Ohio Valley, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England.

In the coming days, large swells caused by Nicole will impact the northwestern Bahamas, the east coast of Florida, and a large portion of the south-eastern United States coastline.

Nicole is projected to diminish as it traverses Florida and the southeastern United States through Friday, and by Friday afternoon, it will likely be a post-tropical cyclone.

Wednesday evening, Nicole blasted into Grand Bahama Island as a hurricane after making landfall on Great Abaco island as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 7 mph. It is the first hurricane to strike the Bahamas since Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that ravaged the islands in 2019.

For storm-weary Floridians, this is only the third November hurricane since records began being kept in 1853. Previous hurricanes include the 1935 Yankee Hurricane and the 1985 Hurricane Kate.

Trump's club and residence, Mar-a-Lago, was located in one of these evacuation zones, roughly a quarter mile inland from the ocean.

The main buildings are situated on a little elevation of approximately 15 feet above sea level, and the property has withstood multiple hurricanes of greater intensity since its construction nearly a century ago. The resort's security office hung up when an Associated Press reporter asked if the club was being evacuated on Wednesday, and there was no indication that the club was being evacuated by Wednesday afternoon.

There is no punishment for disobeying an evacuation order, but rescue crews will not react if their members are endangered.

Officials in Daytona Beach Shores have deemed hazardous at least six multi-story, coastal residential structures that were already damaged by Hurricane Ian and are now under threat from Hurricane Nicole. In some areas, authorities went door-to-door advising residents to gather their belongings and evacuate.

Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort have confirmed they will likely not open on Thursday as anticipated.

Wednesday morning, Palm Beach International Airport and Daytona Beach International Airport both ceased operations. The seventh-busiest airport in the U.S., Orlando International Airport, was also shuttered.

Further south, officials reported flight delays and cancellations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport, but both intended to remain operational.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Governor Ron DeSantis stated that winds were the greatest concern and that substantial power outages were possible, but that 16,000 engineers, 600 guardsmen, and seven search-and-rescue teams were on standby to restore power.

Mr. DeSantis stated that large portions of the state of Florida will be impacted by the storm all day.

Nearly a dozen school districts are closing due to the hurricane, and 15 shelters have opened throughout the east coast of Florida, according to the governor.