September 13, 2021 | 12:31 pm CT
Tropical Storm Nicholas closes in on Texas coastline
- Tropical Storm Nicholas has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico and is threatening the western Gulf Coast, primarily the Texas coast.
- Nicholas is currently moving just off shore along the Texas coast and is expected to make landfall northeast of Corpus Christi, TX on Monday evening or overnight.
With significant rainfall expected, inland flooding is the greatest danger
- At this time, Nicholas is expected to remain just below hurricane strength at landfall but very warm ocean temperatures introduces some uncertainty, so a Hurricane Watch has been issued along the eastern Texas coast.
- Due to slow storm movement, inland flooding appears to be the greatest danger, with local rainfall exceeding 10 inches. There is significant forecast model spread as to where Nicholas will move in the coming days but most models have 5-10” of rain falling across parts of East Texas and Central to Southern Louisiana.
Millions of Texans under flash flood warning
- Nicholas will likely lead to local areas of flash flooding. Residents should take shelter and follow local guidelines. The risk for widespread historical flooding on the scale of previous events like Harvey, Allison, Imelda, looks unlikely at this time.
