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Overview

On Sunday, September 12, Tropical Storm Nicholas formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, about 130 miles northeast of Veracruz, Mexico. It strengthened gradually as it moved northward along the western edge of the Gulf of Mexico, bringing rains to the Texas Gulf Coast as it slid along its track not far off the coastline through Sunday and Monday. On Monday night, shortly before it made landfall, Nicholas was upgraded to a hurricane as it produced wind gusts as high as 94 mph at a WeatherFlow sensor on Matagorda Bay. The storm made landfall shortly after midnight on Tuesday about 10 miles west-southwest of Sargent Beach, in rural Matagorda County. Through Monday night and into Tuesday morning, the storm brought gusty winds to much of coastal Southeast Texas, resulting in power outages to nearly half a million people. It also dumped several inches of rain on the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast and barrier islands, resulting in flash flooding.

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GOES-East visible imagery showing Nicholas moving slowly across Southeast Texas. (Satellite loop taken on 9/14 at 1pm CDT)
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GOES-15 infrared (band 10) showing Nicholas strengthening into a hurricane along the Texas coast. (Source: NOAA/CIRA) MRMS-estimated rainfall totals for Hurricane Nicholas Radar loop from Nicholas an hour after making landfall near Sargent Beach, TX. (Radar loop at 2:30 am 09/14)
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