SURFSIDE BEACH, Texas (AP) — Tropical Storm Nicholas slowed to a crawl over southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana after blowing ashore as a hurricane, knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses.
The National Hurricane Center says the storm made landfall on the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula early Tuesday and was soon downgraded to a tropical storm.
It's drenching Louisiana, which is still recovering from Hurricane Ida. Nearly 100,000 people are still without power in the state, according to PowerOutage.us. The National Weather Service New Orleans says Nicholas could dump an additional 10 inches of rain through Thursday.
The storm also left a trail of damage in the Houston area. CenterPoint, which provides electricity in Texas, said some people may be without power for up to five days due to the damage from Nicholas.
#Houston-area electric customers: Due to the extensive damage caused by #Nicholas, some customers may experience 4-5 day outages; we anticipate the majority of customers will be restored earlier. Please make preparations for extended outages just in case: https://t.co/oxiKsS2uA1 pic.twitter.com/ganYNcuceS
— CenterPoint Energy Alerts (@CNPalerts) September 14, 2021
The storm still has the potential for life-threatening flash floods across the Deep South, according to the National Hurricane Center.