Orlando International Airport announces closure in preparation for tropical storm Nicole
Tropical Storm Nicole forced Florida's busiest airport to close down Wednesday afternoon.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Orlando International Airport (MCO) will shut down operations at 4 p.m. on Wednesday because of expected impending weather from Tropical Storm Nicole.
Airport officials made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, telling followers operations will resume as soon as circumstances permit.
Tropical Storm Nicole's forecast track (Credit: Fox News)
"We will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole to determine the potential impact at MCO," airport officials said in another post. "We ask you to please continue to work with your airline directly in regards to your specific flights."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Orlando International was the only airport in the state to announce it was shutting down because of the storm. Other airports in Florida, such as Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami advised travelers to check with their carriers for updates.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Nicole was centered nearly 400 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, and moving toward the west.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sustained winds in the tropical system were 60 mph, and winds higher than 40 mph extended 380 miles from the center of the storm.
TROPICAL STORM NICOLE EXPECTED TO BECOME A HURRICANE ON WEDNESDAY
Fox Forecast Center expects Tropical Storm Nicole to approach the east coast of Florida on Wednesday night and make landfall overnight or early on Thursday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Delta Boeing 757 takes off from Orlando International Airport located in Orlando, Fla.
The center of Nicole is then expected to move across Central and Northern Florida into South Georgia, though rain, wind and coastal flooding will be felt along the East Coast as the system moves to the north.
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The airport was the seventh busiest in the country in 2021, with more than 40.3 million passengers traveling through Orlando, according to a report in February from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Orlando International ranks as the busiest airport in Florida. Miami ranked the second busiest, with about 37 million passengers moving through its terminals.