The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Nicholas, now a tropical storm, made landfall as a hurricane along the Texas coast, bringing the threat of up to 20 inches of rainfall to parts of the Gulf Coast.
The hurricane center says the storm touched down on the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula and was about 30 miles south-southwest of Houston as of Tuesday morning, with maximum winds of 70 mph.
Nicholas strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane ahead of landfall overnight Monday, with to sustained winds of 75 mph.
The storm could also cause life-threatening flash floods across the deep south.
Nicholas was the 14th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The biggest unknown about Nicholas was how much rainfall it would produce in Texas, especially around flood-prone Houston.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state has placed rescue teams and resources in the Houston area and along the Texas Gulf Coast, and many schools in the Houston and Galveston areas were closed Monday because of the storm.
Coastal areas in Mexico and storm-battered Louisiana also are expected to see heavy rain and flooding from Nicholas.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.
