Tropical Storm Nicole bears down on the Bahamas, Florida

MIAMI (AP) — Crews evacuated dozens of people from vulnerable locations in the northwestern Bahamas as Tropical Storm Nicole approached and residents of Florida braced for the storm, which could strengthen into a rare November hurricane.

Nicole is the first storm to hit the Bahamas since Hurricane Dorian, a devastating Category 5 storm that hit in 2019. Nicole is then expected to strike storm-weary Florida on Wednesday night and move into Georgia on Thursday.

In the Bahamas, officials said early Wednesday that only a few people were in the more than two dozen shelters that opened.

Residents in at least three Florida counties were ordered to evacuate from barrier islands, low-lying areas and mobile homes.

Many school districts in Florida canceled classes on Wednesday and Thursday.