What damage did Tropical Storm Nicholas cause?
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(CNN) -
Millions of people are on flash flood alert Thursday as post-tropical cyclone Nicholas lingers over the central Gulf coast, threatening to dump even more rain in the coming days.
Nicholas initially made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in South Texas early Tuesday, with winds of 121 km / h and higher gusts.
The storm also soaked parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle as it weakened into a tropical depression.
Located near Marsh Island, on the central coast of Louisiana, and with winds of 40 km / h, Nicholas became a post-tropical cyclone this Thursday morning, said the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service (NWS for its acronym). in English).
But even after its degradation, it still brings the potential risk of flash flooding to some 5 million people in parts of southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and Alabama, as well as the Florida Panhandle.
According to the Climate Prediction Center, it is possible that between 5 and 6 centimeters more rain will fall in the region until Friday, with the risk that some areas will reach 30 centimeters.
Minor but widespread river flooding is expected, and moderate and scattered river flooding is possible.
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Flash flood alerts are in effect when weather conditions are conducive to flash flooding, but it does not necessarily mean they will occur, according to the NWS.
Tropical depression Nicholas could hamper Louisiana recovery after Ida
What is expected for Nicholas in the next few days?
Nicholas is expected to move slowly north in the coming days, the prediction center said.
"There is a mass of dry air to the north that is moving from the west, which will help suppress some of the rainfall in northern Louisiana toward portions of northwestern Mississippi and western Tennessee," said CNN meteorologist Michael. Guy.
"However, central and southern Louisiana could still see rain and storms through Friday, some of which could cause heavy downpours."
"Considerable impacts from flash floods, especially in urban areas, are possible across these regions," said the NWS.
Georgia and the Carolinas are also bracing for heavy rain this Thursday.
"Some of these rains will be heavy at times so there is still the threat of flash floods," Guy said.
Nicholas will slowly drift north over the next 48 hours to southern Arkansas, where he will dissipate Saturday morning, Guy noted.
A car goes through a flood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 15, 2021.
'A Few Dozen' Oil Spills Need Attention After Hurricane Ida
Meanwhile, Louisiana continues to recover from Hurricane Ida's August 29 landfall.
The Category 4 cyclone and the conditions that followed killed at least 29 people in Louisiana.
Excessive heat is responsible for 13 deaths, while six people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, he said.
While Ida brought deadly floods and long power outages during the scorching temperatures, it also damaged facilities and caused some oil spills.
Edwards said only a few of the hundreds of reported oil spills required action.
Drones show the destruction left by Hurricane Ida 1:02
The Louisiana Office of Oil Spill Coordination is working with the US Coast Guard, Edwards noted during his monthly statewide radio show, and the teams have narrowed the spills to "a few dozen" problems that require more attention.
"None of them have a spill that matches what we've seen in the past, with big hurricanes like Katrina, for example," Edwards said.
He added that one of the incidents had to do with an abandoned pipe that broke loose and that still had some product in it.
"I don't know if we still know who is responsible, but that pipeline has been plugged with the opportunity to recap it so that we can re-aspirate it and remove any remaining product," said the governor.
"But all of that went out to sea, and I don't think there is any additional work to be done there."
CNN's Monica Garrett, Rebekah Riess and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.
