NEXT Weather: Philadelphia region bracing for Nicole's remnants
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nicole was downgraded to a Tropical Storm on Thursday from a Category 1 Hurricane before making landfall in Florida. Residents in the Sunshine State dealt with heavy rain, damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes.
Right along the coast, homes and structures already impacted by Ian, are sustaining more damage from coastal flooding and erosion.
A Late-Season Storm For Philadelphia and The Metro Area
A beautiful week filled with plenty of sunshine and highs in the 60s and even the 70s for a few spots will come to an end on Friday. We are tracking Nicole's remnants as they push north and head for the Philadelphia region.
As it moves towards our area, the upper-level jet, or wind pattern, will push the storm a little farther inland and it will eventually hit our area in the late morning hours.
With this in mind, the CBS3 NEXT Weather team has officially made Friday and Saturday NEXT Weather Alert Days.
Expect the first few drops of rain late Friday morning, with rapidly developing bands of rain and storms by the afternoon and evening.
Nicole's remnants could bring heavy rain and high winds to the Delaware Valley Friday.
The Lowdown On Severe Weather
The truth is, anytime there's a tropical system, with all its spin, there's going to be a chance of severe weather. There may even be an isolated tornado. That said, while overall instability is limited with Nicole once it reaches here, there are a few opportunities for some pockets of dry air between bands of rain and storms. That could spark off an isolated severe storm cell or two.
The main threats with any storms Friday into Saturday will be winds, which may gust over 45 mph. Expect high surf and some possible coastal flooding.
All in all, 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected across the area in a relatively small window of time. The highest amounts will be north and west of the city.
Stay with Eyewitness News and the NEXT Weather team as we continue to monitor Nicole and the impacts the storm will have on our region.