Hurricane Nicholas reached the Texas, USA coast shortly after 7am (UK time) on Tuesday September 14. It touched down near to Houston, close to the Louisiana border - a state that's still reeling from the devastating effects of last month's Hurricane Ida.

       Nicholas made landfall on the eastern part of the Matagorda Peninsula - about 10 miles west of Sargent Beach in Texas - the National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed.

       Hurricane-force winds of up to 75mph struck the US coast over a 25-mile radius.

       A series of hurricane, flood and storm surge warnings were issued by the NHC on Tuesday morning, as the state prepares to hunker down.

       The Texas coast is liable to flooding, which makes Nicholas's arrival a "life-threatening situation", it said.

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       It's usually a very dry part of the US, which means the ground could be more susceptible to high tides.

       Storm surges of up to five feet were expected, with the deepest water likely to impact the immediate coast.

       Almost all of Texas - and some parts of Louisiana - has been told to prepare for tropical storm conditions over the next few hours.

       That includes the possible arrivals of tornadoes in north Texas and southwest Louisiana.

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       "Nicholas is expected to produce storm total rainfall of six to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches, across the upper Texas coastal areas into Wednesday," said the NHC.

       "Life-threatening flash flooding impacts, especially in urbanised metropolitan areas, are possible across portions of the upper Texas Gulf Coast into far southwestern Louisiana.

       "The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.

       "Swells generated by Nicholas will continue affecting portions of the northwest Gulf coast today. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

       Houston had already prepared for Nicholas's arrival, and a series of anti-flooding measures were introduced on Monday.

       High-water rescue vehicles were deployed throughout the city, while barricades were erected at more than 40 different locations.

       The US south coast is still repairing the damage from Category 4 storm Hurricane Ida.

       Ida was one of the most powerful US storms in recent history, destroying hundreds of homes around the Louisiana coast.

       Thousands of residents were still without power two weeks after the hurricane.

       Storm surges of up to 10 feet were observed just off the Louisiana coast, with wind speeds of up to 150mph.

       The storm was also relatively slow to recede from its hurricane status, with the effects felt right across the country, all the way up to New York City.

       The full extent of the damage is yet to be revealed, but it's likely that recovery will cost tens of billions of dollars.