Tropical Storm Nicolas will bring heavy rain to Texas, Louisiana

by Alison Prang | Update September 13, 2021 11:35am EDT

National Hurricane Center warns of flash floods; Louisiana governor says storm could disrupt some power restoration

Officials in Texas and Louisiana were preparing for Tropical Storm Nicholas, which is forecast to bring rain and strong winds to parts of the Gulf Coast just weeks after Hurricane Ida hit the region and left more than a million without power.

The National Hurricane Center has warned that the storm could approach hurricane intensity when it makes landfall on the northwest Gulf Coast later on Monday. It said that deadly storms could flood parts of the Texas coast, while enough rain could cause flash floods, especially in metropolitan areas. The NHC has forecast a total of 8 to 16 inches of rain in some coastal areas of Texas through the middle of the week. Parts of the Houston area will receive 10 to 15 inches of rain.

“Don’t fixate on specific amounts,” the National Weather Service in Houston said on Twitter. A rainfall rate of “3-4″/hour can throw in a monkey wrench!

The storm was recently about 45 miles northeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande, and a Hurricane Watch was in effect for the Texas coast from Port Aransas to San Luis Pass. The National Weather Service said Corpus Christi was already seeing maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state began raising resources over the weekend to help local officials. Some schools in South Texas remained closed on Monday.

The storm is forecast to move into central and northern Louisiana on Wednesday, with 2 to 6 inches of rain expected in the New Orleans area, according to the NHC. Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, and said the storm could disrupt some power restoration and recovery work currently underway.

Hurricane Ida struck southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29, leaving more than one million residents without power. While power has been restored on a massive scale across the state, some areas have no electricity and their homes are uninhabited.

Ida also disrupted oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly 50% of US offshore oil production went out of service.

“I encourage anyone who has recently been harmed by #Ida, #Laura or other disasters to take the necessary measures to prevent additional damage to their home or business,” Edwards said on Twitter. “