[3] With a broad upper ridge anchored along the Yucatán coast, diffluence aloft in the vicinity of the disturbance provided focus for the development of scattered convection.

[4] The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted an environment supportive of tropical development, and by September 27, a broad surface low formed amid the convection.

[7] Despite the asymmetry, the NHC initiated advisories on a tropical depression around 15:00 UTC that day, after surface and satellite observations revealed a sufficiently defined circulation center west of the deep convection.

[8] Post-season reassessments, however, indicated that a tropical storm had, in fact, formed three hours earlier, about 75 miles (120 km) south of Cuba's Isle of Youth, which operationally was not named Nicole until a day later.

[1][9] For most of its duration, Nicole maintained a generally northeastward motion, caught in the steering flow between a large mid- to upper-level trough and an anticyclone to the west.

[1][8] Within hours of the storm's formation, observations from a hurricane hunters flight confirmed a composition similar to the one initially discerned, with the strongest gusts and thunderstorms dislocated 250 mi (400 km) east from the ill-defined center.

[12] Over the course of September 29, radar data showed the convection increasing over the northern half of the storm;[13] bands of intense thunderstorms in the southeastern periphery also formed closer to the center, and weather buoys and ships in that region observed sustained tropical-storm-force winds.

[9] Around 12:00 UTC, Nicole attained an estimated peak intensity of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) winds and a minimum pressure of 995 mbar (29.4 inHg), just south of Cuba.

[1] Despite the increase in strength,[9] Nicole's circulation soon became exceedingly elongated and untrackable over central Cuba, prompting the NHC to declassify it as a tropical cyclone by 15:00 UTC.

[1][14] The remnant low began interacting with the neighboring trough that had steered Nicole in its tropical stages, resulting in significant precipitation along the southeastern coastlines of the United States.

[1] Lingering low pressure and broad cyclonic flow over the north-central Caribbean in Nicole's wake contributed to the development of Hurricane Paula in the first weeks of October.

[15] In anticipation of a tropical storm, warnings were issued for the Cayman Islands, the northwestern and central Bahamas, and the Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, and Ciego de Ávila on September 28.

[17] After forecasters warned of severe weather across the Cayman Islands, schools and government offices closed in low-lying areas,[18] and emergency teams cleaned out storm drains and readied shelters.

Multiple schools in New Hanover and Pender County remained closed the next morning due to worsening storm conditions from the disturbance succeeding Nicole.

[35] With dozens of river banks and waterways blocked, the worst effects were due to landslides and particularly severe flooding across numerous communities, primarily in the southern parishes.

[35] In Saint Andrew Parish's Sandy Park, a house next to a street gully succumbed to the effects of the storm; five bodies were recovered near the site, while the final missing inhabitant was presumed dead.

[41][42] Amid a microburst, a waterspout tore roofs off buildings and hospitalized five residents in Westmoreland Parish's capital of Savanna-la-Mar,[35][43] while to the northwest, strong gusts and rough surf impacted the resort town of Negril.

Surface runoff and spills along industrial zones and sewage systems infiltrated large stretches of land, leading to soil contamination, coastal erosion, and deteriorated ecosystems.

[53][54] Rainfall over the region was heavy and widespread, although the greatest quantities fell over Grand Cayman; the Owen Roberts International Airport recorded 9.02 inches (229 mm) over a two-day period.

[53] Overall damage to the islands was limited: The blustery rains flooded low-lying areas, caused roof leaks, and knocked out the power in eastern Grand Cayman.

[1][57] The extratropical remnants of Nicole retained plenty of moisture and ultimately combined with a large low-pressure system slowly tracking up the U.S. East Coast.

[57] The resultant disturbance produced torrential thunderstorms over entire coastlines and inland as far north as Canada, causing widespread power outages[58] and shattering numerous precipitation records throughout the region.

[61] Farther north, the remnant low enhanced a pressure gradient over southern New England, generating strong winds that knocked out the power in Litchfield County.

The Veterinary Division provided financial assistance to livestock farmers and dispatched animal technicians with prophylactic medication and vitamins to avert foot rot disease in small ruminants, including goats and sheep.