Millions in southern states, who are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, are under flash flood watches Thursday as Post-Tropical Cyclone Nicholas threatens to bring even more rain in the coming days.
The storm was hovering over the central Louisiana coast, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center on Thursday.
The Louisiana Coast and portions of the Central Gulf Coast are most at risk for flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center tweeted around5 pm on Thursday.
Since it made landfall in Southern Texas early Tuesday morning, Nicholas has been downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical depression as its initial 75 MPH winds slowed.
As it weakened, the storm dumped rain on parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm became a post-tropical depression with winds reached 25 MPH on Thursday morning.
As of Thursday morning, the storm hovers near Marsh Island along the central Louisiana coast, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center
Cars attempting to traverse deep floodwaters caused by post-tropical depression Michael on Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond on Thursday
Since it made landfall in Southern Texas early Tuesday morning, Nicholas has been downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical depression as its initial 75 MPH winds slowed
The intense rain pour could produce life-threatening flash floods in parts of southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches in these areas. Pictured are floodwaters overtaking cars at Louisiana State University on Thursday
The Louisiana Coast and portions of the Central Gulf Coast are most at risk for flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center tweeted around 5 pm on Thursday.
As it weakened, Nicholas dumped rain on parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm became a post-tropical depression with winds reached 25 MPH on Thursday morning
Since it made landfall in Southern Texas early Tuesday morning, Nicholas has been downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical depression as its initial 75 MPH winds slowed
Now, although the weather system has slowed, roughly five million in those regions are at risk for flash flooding.
The intense rain pour could produce life-threatening flash floods in parts of southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches in these areas.
‘Considerable flash flooding impacts, especially in urban areas, are possible across these regions,’ the National Weather Service said Thursday.
Forecasters warned that people along the central Gulf Coast could expect up to 20 inches and tropical storm strength winds through Friday in places across the region still recovering from Category 4 hurricanes – Ida weeks ago and Laura last year.
From there, the storm is expected to slowly move northward over the next 48 hours into southern Arkansas, then dissipate on Saturday.
‘There is a mass of dry air to the north that is moving in from the west, which will help suppress some of the rainfall in northern Louisiana over into portions of northwest Mississippi and west Tennessee,’ said CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.
‘However, central and southern Louisiana could still see rain and storms through Friday, some of which could cause heavy downpours.’
Lousiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned residents to take the threat seriously, although Nicholas is no longer the hurricane that made landfall in Texas on Tuesday.
‘This is a very serious storm, particularly in those areas that were so heavily impacted by Hurricane Ida,’ Edwards said.
Heavy rain is also predicted for Georgia the Carolinas on Thursday.
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Nicholas became the 14th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season on Sunday. Monday night it became the 6th named hurricane of the season when it strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Poweroutage.us, 112,813 electric customers in Texas were reported without power Wednesday morning – as of Thursday night, 37,219 have yet to have their electricity restored.
Tropical Storm Nicholas became a Category 1 hurricane just before landfall and hit Houston directly. Pictured is flooding in Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Park on Tuesday
Dayton Verdin, 14, left, Lerryn Brune, 10, center, and Terren Dardar, 17, right, move barrels of rainwater they collected from Tropical Storm Nicholas in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
In Louisiana, 44,688 residents are currently without power.
Currently, the state is still recovered from Hurricane Ida’s August 29th landfall – the storm killed at least 29 people, damaged infrastructure and triggered around one hundred oil spills.
In the small Louisiana community of Pointe-aux-Chenes, Ida peeled open the tin roof of Terry and Patti Dardar´s home, leaving them without power and water for more than two weeks since.
Nicholas made the damage that much worse, soaking the upstairs. But it also provided them with badly needed water, which their son Terren and grandchildren collected in jugs and poured into a huge plastic container through a strainer. From there, a pump powered by a generator brought the water inside.
Patti said the family didn’t have anywhere to relocate after Ida and were doing their best to endure Nicholas. ‘We ain´t got no other place,’ she said. ‘This is our home.’
Gov. Edwards acknowledged that infrastructure and homes already badly damaged by Ida were not yet repaired enough to withstand heavy rain.
He also noted that 95,000 electric customers were still without power more than two weeks after Ida hit and said the new storm could mean some who had regained power might lose it again.
The Louisiana governor announced that Nicholas caused an additional 13,500 outages by Tuesday afternoon.
Energy companies working to restore power to remaining areas in the state said Wednesday that they were watching Nicholas closely but didn’t expect it to affect their restoration times.
Lamar County Development Official Brian Neuman investigates the rising waters off the 4th Street bridge in Hattlesburg, Mississippi on Wednesday as tropical depression Nicholas continued to dump heavy rains across the state before it slowed
Entergy Louisiana spokesman Jerry Nappi said Nicholas has not yet caused any delays to the previously announced schedule to restore power. He explained that crews cannot operate when lightning is within 10 miles (16 kilometers) and can´t put bucket trucks in the air at winds greater than 30 mph (50 kph) but he said that the company plans tp quickly resume work once conditions improve.
Joe Ticheli, manager and CEO of South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association, said rain doesn´t stop the linemen, who are outfitted with slicker suits and grit.
‘These are tough guys, and they relish all of this,’ he said. The coop services about 21,000 customers across five parishes including parts of the hard-hit Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Ticheli said the coop has returned power to about 75% of its customers with the remaining 25% mostly in the hardest-hit parts of southern Terrebonne parish.
Storm clouds from Tropical Storm Nicholas are seen behind a home that was destroyed by Hurricane Ida, in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Louisiana, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
In the weather-battered city of Lake Charles, in southwestern Louisiana, Mayor Nic Hunter said the city prepositioned assets should they be needed, and city crews scoured the drainage system to keep it free from debris that might cause clogs and flooding during Nicholas.
Lake Charles has been destroyed. Hurricane Laura caused substantial structural damage across the city of nearly 80,000 residents in August 2020. Weeks later Hurricane Delta ripped through the same area. Freezing temperatures in January burst pipes across the city, and then a May rainstorm swamped houses and businesses yet again.
The mayor says he’s naturally worried about how his people are coping.
‘With what people have gone through over the last 16 months here in Lake Charles, they are very, understandably, despondent, emotional. Any time we have even a hint of a weather event approaching, people get scared,’ he said.
Source: Daily Mail
