Nicole hits coast of Florida, remnants track toward Maritimes

Nicole hit the coast of Florida Wednesday night as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 km/h.

The National Hurricane Center says Nicole made landfall near North Hutchinson Island just south of Vero Beach.

As of 5 a.m. AT,Nicole was classified as atropical storm and hadsustainedwinds of 110 km/h. Now that Nicole is over land, the system will slowly lose strength.

While the system is losing strength, the remnants of Nicole will be steered into the Maritimes courtesy of a cold front. The cold front is pushing out of Quebec and another approaching low is coming in from the west.

If it weren't for Nicole, this would be a typical fall storm. What's different is that this fall storm will have tropical moisture with it and that willenhance the rainfall totals and generate higher winds.

Friday night into Saturday morning the rain will intensify,with higher amounts expected along the Fundy coast andNew Brunswick.

The winds will be southwesterly, gustingto 60 km/h with higher gusts possible along the Atlantic coast and the Fundy coast of New Brunswick.

On Saturday afternoon, the intensity of the rain will shifteastward and the rain will begin to taper off from west to east.

The cold air producing snow in Quebec and the GaspPeninsula will push into northern New BrunswickSaturday night into Sunday.By then, the moisture will be east, and the snowfall potential will be limited.

The timing of the front may change, but New Brunswick and P.E.I. are expected to see the heaviest amounts of rain, withpockets that receive 50 to 80 millimetres. Meanwhile, the coast of Nova Scotia will see the higher winds.