Nicholas Upgraded from Tropical Storm to Category 1 Hurricane as Moves Towards Texas Coast

WASHINGTON - The Atlantic storm dubbed Nicholas has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it heads towards the southeastern coast of Texas. 

The National Hurricane Center says Nicholas is about 30 kilometers southeast of Matagorda, Texas, carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers an hour, making it a Category 1 storm on the five-level scale that measures a storm’s maximum sustained wind speed and destructive potential. It is the sixth named hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.  Nicholas, which has already begun to produce heavy rains and strong winds along parts of Texas and neighboring Louisiana, is expected to make landfall along the Texas coast before daybreak Tuesday morning. Forecasters expect the hurricane to travel along a northeastern path outside of the city of Houston before moving into Louisiana during the day.  Forecasters have issued hurricane watches and warnings and storm surge warnings for several communities along the Texas coast, with the likelihood of life-threatening situations such as flash flooding. Nicholas is expected to produce between 15 and 30 centimeters of rain along the region into Wednesday.