Tropical Storm Nicholas Becomes Flooding Threat for Texas, Louisiana

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Nicholas in the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA via AP
Amy Furr

Tropical Storm Nicholas is set to be a major rainfall flood threat Monday night on the Texas and Louisiana coasts, bringing wind gusts and a storm surge.

“Nicholas is centered over 200 miles south of Port O’Connor, Texas and is expected to make landfall along the middle Texas coast as soon as Monday night,” the Weather Channel reported.

The storm is already churning out showers and thunderstorms over the western Gulf of Mexico and bands of rain from Nicholas have spread to the Texas and Louisiana coasts, the outlet continued:

Tropical storm warnings have been issued along the coast of Texas from the mouth of the Rio Grande River to High Island, as well as some inland counties near the Texas coast and the southeast Houston metro area. This means tropical-storm-force winds (39+ mph) are expected to spread northward through these areas today into tonight. A hurricane watch is also now in effect for a part of the middle Texas coast, from Port Aransas to Freeport. Hurricane conditions could occur in this area as early as this afternoon.

ABC 13 Houston shared live coverage of the storm on Monday:

According to the Weather Channel, a tropical storm watch has been issued for the Texas coast from east of High Island to Sabine Pass and for inland counties including Harris and the city of Houston.

“These areas could see tropical-storm-force winds by late Monday night or early Tuesday,” the report added.

Houston officials say the potential of the area experiencing flash-flooding is their chief concern.

“Harris County activated their Office of Emergency Management at 8 a.m. Monday. That means multiple agencies in the area will be coordinating their resources, including dump trucks and airboats, to make sure everything is in place as severe weather moves in,” ABC 13 reported.

In a social media post on Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said the state began mobilizing resources Saturday to assist local officials and urged residents to listen to warnings and avoid high water:

Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced Sunday he declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Nicholas:

“The most severe threat to Louisiana is in the Southwest portion of the state, where recovery from Hurricane #Laura and the May flooding is ongoing. In this area heavy rain and flash flooding are possible,” he wrote in a subsequent post.

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