Nicholas Path: Where the Storm Goes Next

U.S.|Nicholas, present a tropical depression, threatens much dense rainfall successful the flood-battered South.

• Sept. 15, 2021, 5:02 a.m. ET

Tropical Depression Nicholas is expected to unleash dense rainfall crossed overmuch of Louisiana connected Wednesday, raising the hazard of terrible flooding successful an country already battered by Hurricane Ida and inactive struggling to restore electricity to tens of thousands of customers.

Forecasters warned that the storm, which made landfall aboriginal Tuesday arsenic a hurricane implicit the Gulf Coast of Texas, could besides nutrient life-threatening flash floods successful parts of the Deep South, dropping 5 to 10 inches of rainfall connected confederate Louisiana, confederate Mississippi, confederate Alabama and the occidental Florida Panhandle done Friday.

Up to 20 inches of rainfall is imaginable successful isolated parts of those regions, the National Hurricane Center said.

The forecast has prompted weather-weary officials crossed the South to brace for different circular of unsafe conditions.

In Mississippi, the state’s exigency absorption bureau told residents however they could flee to higher ground if flooding occurs, underscoring the challenges of a hurricane play intensified by clime change.

“Take the threats from Nicholas precise seriously,” Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said astatine a news conference connected Tuesday afternoon.

About 95,000 customers remained without power successful the authorities due to the fact that of Hurricane Ida, Mr. Edwards said. Nicholas had already added an further 13,500 outages by Tuesday afternoon, helium said, and efforts to reconstruct powerfulness are apt to beryllium acceptable backmost due to the fact that of the caller storm.

Nicholas is expected to weaken arsenic it churns eastward, forecasters said. But the tempest volition inactive nutrient beardown winds and driving rains, according to the hurricane center.

River flooding crossed parts of confederate Louisiana and Mississippi was besides possible, the halfway said.

In Texas, astir 120,000 customers were without powerfulness aboriginal Wednesday morning, according to Poweroutage.us, a website that tracks and aggregates reports from utilities.

Houston residents were asked by the city’s constabulary section to enactment location due to the fact that dangerous conditions, specified arsenic downed powerfulness lines and roadways cluttered with debris, were inactive contiguous aft the tempest swept done the country with winds of 40 miles per hour.

Sgt. Derek Gaspard of the Galveston Police Department said the country was fortunate to person escaped the “worst-case scenario” connected Tuesday.

“Still,” helium said successful an interrogation connected Tuesday night, “it was a batch of rain.”