Nicholas downgraded to tropical storm after making landfall in Texas as Category 1 hurricane

Hours after making landfall, Nicholas was downgraded to a tropical storm

Nicholas made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Tuesday and is expected to bring heavy rain and flooding along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast this week.

The storm made landfall around 12:30 a.m. CDT on the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula, about 10 miles west-southwest of Sargent Beach, Texas. Maximum sustained winds were 75 mph with higher gusts at landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). 

Hours later, Nicholas was downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.

On Monday night, the NHC upgraded Nicholas to a hurricane as its center was 20 miles southeast of Matagorda, Texas. 

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On the forecast track, the center of Nicholas is expected to move slowly over southeastern Texas Tuesday, and over southwestern Louisiana on Wednesday.

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Workers remove banners from a post in front of Landry's Seafood House in Galveston, Texas, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, as residents and business prepare for Tropical Storm Nicholas. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)

"Nicholas is expected to produce storm total rainfall of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches, across the upper Texas coastal areas into Wednesday," according to the NHC. "Life-threatening flash flooding impacts, especially in urbanized metropolitan areas, are possible across portions of the upper Texas Gulf Coast into far southwestern Louisiana."

Frank Rivera streams a Facebook live as he fishes with a friend while Tropical Storm Nicholas heads toward the Texas coast, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, along the seawall in Galveston, Texas. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

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In Texas, a hurricane warning is in effect for Port O'Connor to Freeport, and a hurricane watch is in effect for Freeport to San Luis Pass, the NHC added.

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