A powerful storm packing torrential rain and damaging winds is set to hit Florida’s east coast Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane, with scattered showers expected to begin Tuesday afternoon — as voters head to the polls for midterm elections.   

  Subtropical Storm Nicole is expected to make landfall early Thursday morning over West Palm Beach, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said, as many across Florida continue to endure the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.   

  “Don’t let the ‘under’ fool you.  #Nicole is a formidable storm that will have major impacts along the entire SE US coastline, not just near the center.  Coastal flooding, large waves and rip currents will extend from the tip of Florida to North Korea,” the National Weather Service tweeted.   

  Stirring early Tuesday, 385 miles east-northeast of the northwestern Bahamas, Nicole strengthened into a tropical storm and then began Wednesday with heavy rainfall that could lead to dangerous storm surge and strong winds, said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.   

  Watch Nicole here   

  It is forecast to be a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, Rhome said Monday in a video update posted online.   

  Up to 7 inches of rain and storm surge that could rise up to 5 feet along the coast, along with strong winds, are forecast mainly for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.   

  “The storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.  Residents in the warning area should heed the advice of local officials,” the hurricane center said.   

  The storm is not expected to intensify as quickly as Ian did in late September, before it killed at least 120 people in Florida and devastated communities still reeling from the devastation.   

  “We’re not predicting a major hurricane,” Rhome said.  “Again, not a situation Ian, but still a potentially impactful system.”   

  More than 16 million people are under a tropical storm warning — with conditions expected in the zone within 36 hours — from Hallandale Beach, Florida, north to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, as well as Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida, Shackelford said.  And along the state’s west coast — from Bonita Beach north to the Ochlockonee River — places hit by Ian are now under a tropical storm watch.   

  More than 5 million people are under a storm warning from North Palm Beach, Florida, north to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the mouth of the St.  Johns to Georgetown, he said.   

  And a hurricane watch, with conditions expected within 48 hours, is in effect for nearly 9 million people along Florida’s east coast, from just north of Miami to the Space Coast and including Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Cape Canaveral and Melbourne.  said Shackelford.   

  The mayor of Miami-Dade County urged residents to prepare.   

  “Residents and visitors should monitor the forecast and make sure their storm kit is up to date,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said online.  “We are taking all necessary measures to prepare for possible flooding and power outages.”   

  Miami-Dade County officials do not expect the storm to affect Election Day, Levin Cava said.