After briefly becoming a hurricane, Nicholas downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved inland in Texas, leaving thousands in the dark and making its way to Houston.

       First, Nicholas is about 15 miles south-southwest of Houston and 90 miles west-southwest of Beaumont. The 14th named storm of the season is now moving north-northeast at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. update. The storm has a reach of 125 miles from its center.

       Nicholas became a hurricane with winds of 75 mph shortly before making landfall on the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula late Monday. Now, meteorologists expect Nicholas to continue to lose strength along the coast and diminish by the end of the week.

       Tropical Storm Nicholas (The National Hurricane Center)

       “Nicholas is likely to slow to a crawl over Louisiana on Wednesday as it loses any significant steering,” said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist with the NHC.

       As a result, Nicholas will be giving the area a “significant” flash flood risk over the next couple of days.

       A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for Galveston Bay.

       Currently, there are 470,000 people without power in Texas, according to Poweroutage.US.

       Nicholas hit the Texas coast early Tuesday as a hurricane and dumped more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) of rain along the the same area swamped by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, drenching storm-battered Louisiana and bringing the potential for life-threatening flash floods across the Deep South, according to a report by the Associated Press.

       Galveston has received nearly 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain with the storm while the flood-prone Houston area saw more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service. Nicholas could dump up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain in parts of central and southern Louisiana.

       Nearly all of the coastline in Texas was under a tropical storm warning that included potential flash floods and urban flooding. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said authorities placed rescue teams and resources in the Houston area and along the coast.

       The system brings threats of 6-12 inches of rain with some isolated areas of up to 18 inches, with the threat of flash flooding across portions of the upper Texas Gulf Coast and far southwestern Louisiana. Storm surge up to 5 feet is in some parts of the coast, and possible tornadoes remain a threat.

       The worry with Nicholas will be how slowly it moves. Storms are moving slower in recent decades, and Nicholas could get stuck between two other weather systems, said hurricane researcher Jim Kossin of The Climate Service.

       After Harvey, voters approved the issuance of $2.5 billion in bonds to fund flood-control projects, including the widening of bayous. The 181 projects designed to mitigate damage from future storms are at different stages of completion.

       But University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said he expects that Nicholas “will be magnitudes less than Harvey in every regard.”

       Away from the home front, the NHC is keeping up with two tropical waves with strong chances of becoming the next storms of the year.

       Tropics 09/14/21 (The National Hurricane Center)

       A wave not far from Florida is expected to form near the southeastern Bahamas in the next few days, with a 60% chance of formation by late this week and a 30% chance of doing so by Wednesday as it moves northwest across the Atlantic. Florida may not have to worry about a possible landfall, however the storm may influence beach conditions.

       Also, a tropical wave is expected to emerge off the west coast of Africa in the next few days and has a 70% chance of formation in the next 48 hours and a 90% chance by the end of the week.

       If these systems form into tropical storms, they would be named Tropical Storm Odette and Tropical Storm Peter. The 2021 season has already seen 14 named systems, including five hurricanes, three of which have been major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.

       The Associated Press contributed to this report.

       Jpedersen@orlandosentinel.com

       Vaccine resisters are seeking religious exemptions. But what counts as religious?

       31m

       US consumer prices rise 0.3% in August, lowest in 7 months

       1h

       PHOTOS Met Gala 2021: Best and worst red carpet looks during fashion's biggest night

       Sep 13, 2021

       Politics Chicago Ald. Jim Gardiner’s alleged conduct prompts FBI probe, sources say

       Sep 13, 2021

       Chicago Bears Chicago Bears QB rewind: Why a small taste of Justin Fields should lead to more opportunities for the rookie

       3h