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Remnants of Nicole Expected to Take Final Soggy Steps Through Northeast

Forecasters see only a small chance of flash flooding as the weather system, which made landfall in Florida as a hurricane, winds toward New England over the weekend.

Beachfront homes were devastated when Nicole hit Daytona Beach, Fla., on Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. An hour later, it was downgraded to a tropical storm.Credit...Ricardo Arduengo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The remnants of Hurricane Nicole will continue a soggy getaway through the Northeast over the weekend after soaking parts of the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic states with several inches of rain on Friday, forecasters said.

At least through Friday evening, the weather system seemed to have spared those in its path from major flooding, wind damage or widespread loss of power.

Forecasters said that the Northeast would be hit by gusty winds into the weekend but that the risk of heavy rain and flash flooding would wane through Saturday.

A forecast for Saturday from the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center showed a narrow band, extending from western Pennsylvania into southwestern New York, where there exists at least a 15 percent risk of flash flooding. The rest of the wet weather — the remnants of Nicole combined with another storm system that were moving through the Northeast and into Maine — has just a marginal, or at least 5 percent, chance of flash flooding.

By Sunday, the trailing edge of the storm system should be over northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, the Weather Prediction Center said.

Flood watches were in effect through late Friday night from northeastern Georgia and northwestern South Carolina to western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. There was a possibility that streams could flood across the southern and central Appalachians, especially in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Weather Service said.

5-day rainfall forecast

Five-day rainfall forecast

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Sources: The New York Times; NOAA (rainfall forecast) Notes: Data is as of 9 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 11. Estimates are for Nov. 11 through Nov. 16. Times are Eastern.

Sources: The New York Times; rainfall forecast by NOAA as of 9 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 11. Estimates are for Nov. 11 through Nov. 16. Times are Eastern.

In New York City, weather and government officials warned of severe wind and the possibility of more than two inches of rain through Saturday morning, which could lead to flooding in low-lying areas.

Power companies in and around New York prepared for possible losses of power, and the city activated its flash flood emergency plan, which included the checking and clearing of street drains. Officials in charge of the city’s subway system, as well as commuter rail lines, assigned emergency response crews to clear drains, pump out low-lying sections and clear debris from tracks if necessary.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York State agencies were standing by to help municipalities if necessary. She advised caution if traveling. “Starting Friday night, a late-season weather system has the potential to dump three inches or more of rain in some locations, and I urge all New Yorkers to prepare in the event of a flooding situation,” she said in a statement.

Nicole was packing winds of 30 miles per hour with higher gusts as it moved northeast through the Carolinas on Friday.

The central Appalachians, the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England could get one to three inches of rain through Saturday morning, forecasters said.

Earlier on Friday, Georgia was under a threat of flash flooding and tornadoes. Gov. Brian Kemp asked residents to remain alert but did not declare a state of emergency. The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency warned residents to take precautions in case of flooding. Similar warnings were issued in the Carolinas.

While Florida received the brunt of Nicole’s effects, areas farther north were preparing for heavy rain. Up to four inches were expected through Saturday for parts of the Southeast and the Appalachians, as well as for portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. Areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains could receive up to eight inches.

Nicole made landfall in Florida on Thursday as a rare November hurricane, causing severe flooding and devastating coastal erosion on the state’s Atlantic coast.

The storm swept across the state, causing at least four deaths and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.

In Volusia County, at least two dozen hotels and condominiums were deemed unsafe, leading to the evacuation of about 500 mostly older residents.

Corey Kilgannon and Vimal Patel contributed reporting.

Derrick Bryson Taylor is a general assignment reporter. He previously worked at The New York Post’s PageSix.com and Essence magazine. More about Derrick Bryson Taylor

McKenna Oxenden is a breaking news reporter and a member of the 2022-2023 New York Times fellowship class. More about McKenna Oxenden

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