A rare November hurricane made landfall in the southern US state of Florida early Thursday morning, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. 

The storm is currently centered about 60 miles (95 km) southeast of Orlando, in central Florida. 

As it made landfall, Category 1 Hurricane Nicole was packing sustained maximum winds of up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour. 

Soon after landfall, the NHC downgraded Nicole to a tropical storm, warning of continued strong winds, heavy rain, and dangerous storm surge. 

Authorities warned of the possibility of storm surge further eroding beaches that were hit by Hurricane Ian in September. 

Ahead of the storm, Florida officials shut down airports and theme parks and ordered evacuations that included former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.

Nicole is forecast to move toward the north over the next two days, dumping heavy rain on Georgia and the Carolinas. 

wmr/fb (AP, AFP)