Ian Patrick, FISM News
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Hurricane Nicholas made landfall as a Category 1 in Texas late Monday night near Sargent Beach, bringing 75 mph winds and life-threatening wave surges. Nicholas has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm and will become a Tropical Depression making its way from Houston into Louisiana.
BREAKING: #Nicholas becomes the sixth #hurricane of the 2021 season as it nears a Texas landfall.
Hurricane warnings issued from Port O'Connor to Freeport, Texas. pic.twitter.com/tvpZRjyUwJ
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 14, 2021
Nicholas is the first hurricane to make landfall on the Texas coast in September since Hurricane Ike back in 2008, according to The Weather Channel.
Louisiana, still reeling from Hurricane Ida, declared a state of emergency, as did 17 Texas counties. Tropical Storm warnings have been issued along the coastline in eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.
Power outages have already been reported for about 500,000 people across Texas and Louisiana and officials are warning of potentially life threatening floods. The storm is expected to dump 6-12 inches of rain across the two states and could bring as much as 18 inches in isolated areas. Galveston, Texas announced they received close to 14 inches of total rainfall.
Galveston citizens were also perplexed by an individual strolling the beaches before the storm dressed as horror movie character Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise. The man was arrested and soon released for disorderly conduct after police determined the event was a prank, according to an ABC Houston affiliate.
Of all the things islanders expect with hurricanes, Michael Myers strolling on a Galveston beach isn't one https://t.co/ekAKCqykoq #nicholas
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) September 14, 2021