Tropical Storm Nicholas threatens Gulf Coast with heavy rain

By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — Tropical Storm Nicholas strengthened conscionable disconnected the Gulf Coast and could stroke ashore successful Texas arsenic a hurricane Monday arsenic it brings dense rainfall and flooding to coastal areas from Mexico to storm-battered Louisiana.

Forecasters astatine the National Hurricane Center successful Miami said apical sustained winds reached 60 mph (95 kph). It was traveling northbound astatine 12 mph (19 kph) connected a forecast way to walk adjacent the South Texas seashore aboriginal Monday, past determination onshore on the seashore of southbound oregon cardinal Texas by precocious Monday day oregon evening.

Several schools successful the Houston and Galveston country were closed Monday due to the fact that of the incoming storm.

Nicholas was centered astir 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of the rima of the Rio Grande River successful heavy South Texas, and 140 miles (225 kilometers) southbound of Port O’Connor, Texas, arsenic of Monday morning.

As of 10 a.m. CDT, the tempest was “moving erratically” conscionable offshore of the confederate seashore of Texas, the National Hurricane Center said.

A hurricane ticker was issued from Port Aransas to San Luis Pass, Texas. Nearly each of the state’s coastline was nether a tropical tempest informing arsenic the strategy was expected to bring dense rainfall that could origin flash floods and municipality flooding.

Rainfall totals of 8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 centimeters) were expected on the mediate and precocious Texas seashore with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches (50 centimeters) possible. Other parts of Texas and southwest Louisiana could spot 5 to 10 inches (12.5 to 25 centimeters) of rainfall implicit the coming days.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the authorities has placed rescue teams and resources successful the Houston country and on the Texas Gulf Coast.

“This is simply a tempest that could permission dense rain, arsenic good arsenic upwind and astir apt flooding, successful assorted antithetic regions on the Gulf Coast. We impulse you to perceive to section upwind alerts, heed section warnings,” Abbott said successful a video message.

Nicholas is headed toward the aforesaid country of Texas that was deed hard by Hurricane Harvey successful 2017. That tempest made landfall successful the mediate Texas seashore past stalled for 4 days, dropping much than 60 inches (152 cm) of rainfall successful parts of southeast Texas. Harvey was blamed for astatine slightest 68 deaths.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards connected Sunday nighttime declared a authorities of exigency up of the storm’s accomplishment successful a authorities inactive recovering from Hurricane Ida and past year’s Hurricane Laura and historical flooding.

“The astir terrible menace to Louisiana is successful the southwest information of the state, wherever betterment from Hurricane Laura and the May flooding is ongoing. In this country dense rainfall and flash flooding are possible. However, it is besides apt that each of southbound Louisiana volition spot dense rainfall this week, including areas precocious affected by Hurricane Ida,” Edwards said.

The tempest was expected to bring the heaviest rainfall westbound of wherever Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana 2 weeks ago. Although forecasters did not expect Louisiana to endure from beardown winds again, meteorologist Bob Henson astatine Yale Climate Connections predicted rainfall could inactive plague places wherever the hurricane toppled homes, paralyzed electrical and h2o infrastructure and near astatine slightest 26 radical dead.

“There could beryllium respective inches of rainfall crossed southeast Louisiana, wherever Ida struck,” Henson said successful an email.

Across Louisiana, conscionable nether 120,000 customers remained without powerfulness Monday morning, according to the inferior tracking tract poweroutage.us.

The tempest is projected to determination dilatory up the coastland and could bring torrential rainfall implicit respective days, said meteorologist Donald Jones of the National Weather Service successful Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“Heavy rain, flash flooding appears to beryllium the biggest menace crossed our region,” helium said.

While Lake Charles received minimal interaction from Ida, the metropolis saw aggregate wallops from Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta successful 2020, a wintertime tempest successful February arsenic good arsenic historical flooding this spring.

“We are inactive a precise battered city,” Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said.

He said the metropolis is taking the menace of the tempest seriously, arsenic it does each tropical systems.

“Hope and supplication is not a bully crippled plan,” Hunter said.

In Cameron Parish successful coastal Louisiana, Scott Trahan is inactive finishing repairs connected his location damaged from past year’s Hurricane Laura that enactment astir 2 feet of h2o successful his house. He hopes to beryllium finished by Christmas. He said galore successful his country person moved alternatively of rebuilding.

“If you get your butt whipped astir 4 times, you are not going to get backmost up again. You are going to spell determination else,” Trahan said.

Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said via Twitter that Nicholas is the 14th named tempest of 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Only 4 different years since 1966 person had 14 oregon much named storms by Sept. 12: 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2020.

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Associated Press writer Jill Bleed successful Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.

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