RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Tropical Depression Nicole may have been downgraded from its hurricane status, but severe weather is expected to continue as the storm makes its second landfall along the Gulf Coast of Florida this evening.
Nicole is currently traveling northwest at a speed of 15 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. After landfall, the remains of the storm will move into the southeast overnight, at which time, it will no longer be a named tropical system.
In Virginia, Friday has the potential to be a particularly stormy day but it will not be consistent. The heaviest rainfall is projected to be over the western part of the state. However, because the rain will be in squalls, predicting what areas will be especially affected will be difficult.
There is currently a severe weather threat in place throughout Central Virginia — while the area is lower risk, it does include a tornado risk. The risk level will be at its highest later in the day.
Friday will begin with showers and maybe some squalls in Central Virginia before breaking later in the early afternoon. In the evening, the area will be faced with the aforementioned severe weather risk. There will also be gusty winds over the area throughout the day.