TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa International Airport is expected to keep operations running as communities across the east coast of Florida brace for Hurricane Nicole’s landfall sometime Wednesday evening.
On its website, the airport said it continues to monitor Nicole’s potential impact on the Tampa Bay area.
“After reviewing the Tampa Bay area forecast for [now hurricane] Nicole this morning, TPA does not anticipate significant weather impacts that would warrant closing the airport,” the airport said.
“However, airlines may still decide to delay or cancel some flights, so we are urging travelers to please check with their airline for the latest flight information. We will continue to monitor this system closely and will share any changes to the status of our operations on Twitter.”
As of late Wednesday morning, Hillsborough County had declared a local State of Emergency on top of an already existing State of Emergency declared by Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.
On Tuesday, Orlando International Airport announced it would temporarily cease operations at 4 p.m. Wednesday “until circumstances permit operations resume.”
That airport said customers should work directly with their airline to work out cancelations and rescheduled flights.
Hurricane Nicole was forecast to move over the northwestern Bahamas Wednesday evening before it turns for Florida within the hurricane warning area Wednesday night. Its center is expected to move across central and northern Florida into Georgia on Thursday.
As of its latest report at 6 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said Nicole had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, reaching Category 1 hurricane status.
