According to the US Chinese Network reported on September 15, local time in the early morning of the 14th, Hurricane "Nicholas" made landfall on the coast of Texas in the United States, causing more than 500,000 users in the state to lose power and may bring heavy rainfall to parts of the Gulf of Mexico.
The wind weakened slightly when Nicholas crossed the border, weakening to a tropical storm on the morning of the 14th, with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (about 72 kilometers). According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), as of 11 a.m. ET, the center of the storm was just 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
The Houston School District, Texas' largest university district, as well as other school districts, canceled the 14th course. Multiple COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in the state were also forced to close.
The storm will continue to bring heavy rainfall to areas battered by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the central coast of Harvey 4 years ago and stayed in the territory for 4 days. The hurricane killed at least 68 people, 36 of them in the Houston area.
Blake, an expert at the National Hurricane Center, warned: "In the next few days, Nicholas could trigger a life-threatening flash flood in the deep south."
The center of "Nicholas" is expected to pass through southwest Louisiana on the 15th, where heavy rainfall is expected. Louisiana Gov. Edwards has declared a state of emergency in the state.
Meanwhile, tornadoes may also occur on the northern coast of Texas and southern Louisiana. The storm is also expected to bring heavy rainfall in southern Mississippi and southern Alabama.
Nicholas is the fifth storm of this hurricane season with rapidly strengthening winds. According to meteorologists, these types of storms are becoming more frequent due to climate change and warming seawater. The United States has experienced 14 named storms in 2021, six of which were hurricanes and three of the six were large hurricanes.
Source: China News Network