Storm Nicholas Leaves Hundreds of Thousands of Texas Homes Without Power and Threatens Deadly Flooding

Tropical Storm Nicholas, which made landfall in Texas early Tuesday morning in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, is causing heavy rains that can lead to deadly flooding and has already left more than 500,000 customers without power, mostly in the Houston area.

Nicholas strengthened as he passed through the warm waters of the Gulf, shortly before hitting the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula of Texas with winds of 75 miles per hour (mph), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC, for its acronym in English), which warned that it can discharge up to 18 inches of rain.

Although it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it headed into the state, "Nicholas's heavy rains will affect areas of the upper Texas coast, through Louisiana, southern Mississippi and the southern tip of Alabama through the middle of this week. "the NHC explained on Twitter.

"The flood hazard from storm surge continues along the Texas coast from Sargent to Sabine Pass, including Galveston Bay, with potential life-threatening flooding from Sabine Pass to Rutherford Beach, Louisiana," said the meteorological center.

[About 9 million people in Texas and Louisiana are at risk of flooding by Nicholas]

Forecasts indicate that between 6 and 12 inches of rain will fall and up to 18 inches in isolated areas, which could lead to dangerous floods like those that affected Louisiana and the East Coast after the passage of Ida two weeks ago.

At 8 a.m. ET, the storm was about 15 miles south-southwest of Houston and had maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.

Cheri Daigle, a retired teacher, takes a photo as Tropical Storm Nicholas approaches the Texas coast, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, in Galveston, Texas.

AP

The onslaught of the storm has also generated numerous power outages, affecting more than half a million customers in Texas, according to the website www.poweroutage.us.

In Louisiana, more than 93,000 subscribers were in the same situation.

The vast majority of homes without electricity are located in the Houston metropolitan area, 

a high-risk area that could suffer floods for the seventh consecutive year, one of the challenges that the climate emergency generates for large coastal cities.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey left about 150,000 homes underwater in this area of ​​Texas.

Nicholas's arrival also affected air traffic in the city, where dozens of flights had to be canceled.

A surfer tries to paddle through the waves as wind and rain from Nicholas hit the levee area in Galveston, Texas, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle via AP

Prior to the impact of this weather system, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency in 17 counties in its path and mobilized rescue teams and resources in the Houston area and along the Gulf Coast of Texas.

[How and when to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm]

"This is a storm that could leave heavy rain, as well as wind and likely flooding, in various regions along the Gulf Coast. We 

urge you to listen for local weather alerts 

and heed local warnings," he said Abbot in a message posted on his Twitter account.

Local authorities also urged citizens not to drive and stay away from downed power lines.

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The storm is expected to move eastward and pass over Louisiana between Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing up to 14 inches of rain to an area that had already been flooded by heavy rainfall from Ida.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Sunday night in the face of the storm.

In Mexico, the authorities issued an alert for the coasts of Tamaulipas and also forecast heavy rains for the states of Veravruz and Tabasco.

So far this year

there have been five hurricanes in the Atlantic basin

, Elsa, Grace, Henri, Ida and Larry, of which Grace, Ida and Larry reached the highest category, 3 or more.

With information from NBC, The Associated Press and Efe.