Tropical storm Nicholas is currently the reason behind heavy rain in Texas. The storm started downgrading from a hurricane. It has made landfall on the Texas coast in the USA. After that, it causes healthy rain, which results in the risk of life-threatening floods in the state.
The storm made its upgrade to a hurricane after it reached land at 00:30. But it has now lost its strength. The state has reported more than 360000 power outages. President Joe Biden has declared an emergency in Louisiana.
The storm Nicholas came just after weeks of the landfall of Hurricane Ida. Ida was the fifth strongest hurricane that has ever hit the mainland of the US. It has killed dozens of lives and has left more than a million residents staying without power.
Nicholas is now carrying a maximum sustained wind of 70mph. It is about to hit the Texas coast and upper Louisiana with 5-10 inches of rainfall.
There are possibilities for 20 inches of rainfall across central to southern Louisiana. The US National Hurricane Centre said that Nicholas continues to move slowly inland. It has weakened during the past few hours.
But it has also warned that “life-threatening flash flooding impacts, especially in highly urbanized metropolitan areas, are possible”, and the National Weather Service called it a “life-threatening situation”.
“We want to make sure that no one is caught off guard by this storm”, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told a news conference.
He further warned that the drainage system clogged due to Ida could result in another flash flood. More than 119000 homes and businesses are remaining without powers in Louisiana due to the Ida.
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has declared a state of emergency in 3 cities and 17 counties. Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner has weaned about flooding and has urged the city with2.3 million people to stay off the streets.
He has urged people to take things seriously and to stay prepared. This will be a rain event, and they do not know how much rain will be pouring.
Credits: BBC
