Nicholas became a hurricane Monday afternoon before making landfall along the central Texas coast in the next few hours, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest warning. The storm threatens the region with “life-threatening” rainfall, strong winds and storm surges in parts of Texas’ central and high coasts, according to forecasters. Millions of residents receive flood warnings.
By the end of Monday, Nicholas was about 20 miles southwest of Matagorda, Texas, and about 45 miles southwest of Freeport, Texas, with sustained maximum winds of 75 mph, according to the hurricane center. . The storm could produce 6 to 12 inches, with up to 18 inches in isolated areas, off the coast of Texas.
Meteorologists said “life-threatening” flash floods are possible off the high coast of Texas and southern Louisiana. They said southeast Texas, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi could see 4 to 8 inches of rain. According to officials, there is a warning about hurricanes from Port O’Connor to Freeport, Texas.
NOAA
“There are people who drive in high water and sometimes lose vehicles and, even worse, sometimes lose their lives,” Governor Greg Abbott said Monday.
The Gulf Coast is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ida. In southeast Louisiana, more than 130,000 buildings remain without electricity, officials said Sunday. Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to prepare for possible flooding and heavy rains.
“One of the things we need to protect is to dismiss the threat of this storm because it is currently not expected to reach hurricane strength before it hits land,” Edwards said.
Nicholas is the 14th named storm of the season, a number that usually arrives in mid-November.