Tropical Storm Nicholas made landfall on the Texas coast south of Houston early Tuesday morning on September 14th. Over the next 24 hours, the weakening storm slowly tracked east-northeast along the coastline, reaching the LA/TX border Wednesday morning.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LIX wrote it up.
Tropical Storm Nicholas made landfall on the Texas coast south of Houston early Tuesday morning on September 14th. Over the next 24 hours, the weakening storm slowly tracked east-northeast along the coastline, reaching the LA/TX border Wednesday morning. During the 14th and 15th, outer bands of Nicholas expanded east across coastal Mississippi. The persistent rain from those banding features produced areas of flash flooding.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 15, 2:40 AM CST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
340 AM CDT Wed Sep 15 2021
.SYNOPSIS...
Looks like the weakening center of TD Nicholas is somewhere around
Lake Charles early this morning. Drier air has been wrapping
around the southwest quadrant of the storm. Satellite appearance
this morning is more resembling of an extra-tropical pattern. An
east-west deformation zone lies just to the north of the area,
with several bands of precipitation oriented SW-NE across the
area. Right now, the best low level moisture convergence appears
to be approaching Interstate 55. Precipitable water values from
00z soundings around the area remained in the 2.2-2.6 range.
Temperatures and dew points were in the 70s across the area.
&&
.SHORT TERM (through Friday)...
Main concern will, of course, be heavy rainfall, with the largest
portion of it to occur in the next 12-18 hours. Precipitable water
values never really fall off to any great extent, remaining above
2 inches across the entire area, and above 2.25 for about the
southeast half.
Hourly rainfall rates in the deformation band to the north of the
area are generally in the 0.5 inch range, but more like 1.5 to 2
inches (and possibly higher) in the bands crawling eastward
(propagation 5-10 knots) across southeast Louisiana. 24 hour
precipitation totals from early this morning through tonight are
expected to be in the 3-6 inch range, with locally much higher
amounts, mainly near and to the east of Interstate 55. West of
there, totals may be more in the 1-3 inch range, and if we can
get the system to move a little further east, we may be able to
clear the far western portions of the Flash Flood Watch later
today. Will hold onto it for this forecast cycle, though. Still
also possible to have a few weak tornadoes in these feeder bands
as several storms have continued to show some low level rotation.
Unfortunately, with Nicholas expected to eventually dissipate near
the area, we don't see any real significant drying in the short
term period. Upper troughing will remain in place, and with
convective temperatures in the mid 80s, daytime convection will
continue. It won't be as widespread as it is today, but the threat
for isolated heavy rain amounts will continue for much of the
area. Likely to categorical rain chances each day, with high
temperatures remaining mainly in the 80s.
Will hold onto the Coastal Flood Advisory through the early
morning high tide cycle Thursday with the onshore flow gradually
weakening a little more. Still some isolated problems possible. 35
&&
.LONG TERM (Friday night and beyond)...
Weak troughing across the Lower Mississippi River Valley will not be
in any rush to depart the area this weekend. Moisture levels as
measured by precipitable water values, will remain in excess of 2
inches across most or all of the area through at least the
weekend, and likely beyond. Daily rounds of showers and
thunderstorms are expected to continue each day, being most
numerous over land during the day, and over marine areas at night.
Opted not to make significant changes to temperature forecast.
High temperatures will be more of a function of when thunderstorms
occur each day with convective temperatures in the lower and
middle 80s. 35
&&
.AVIATION...
Most terminals at 08z are in the MVFR to IFR range and likely to
remain there for much of the forecast period. Could see some
improvement toward evening. Wind gusts in excess of 25 knots at
KNEW should subside over the next few hours. There's been little
in the way of lightning overnight and any mention will be limited
today. We'll handle any significant development (if there is any)
with amendments. 35
&&
.MARINE...
Hazardous winds and seas will gradually subside over the next 12
hours. Most winds in excess of 20 knots are mainly associated with
convective bands at this time, although not much lightning
involved. Will allow the Small Craft Advisory to expire on
schedule for the open coastal waters at 12z, but hold onto Small
Craft Exercise Caution headlines for all waters during the daytime
hours as conditions relax. Beyond the first 12 hours of the
forecast, the main marine concern will be the threat of
thunderstorms. 35
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MCB 77 70 82 71 / 100 70 80 40
BTR 81 71 83 71 / 100 60 80 40
ASD 82 72 86 74 / 100 80 90 50
MSY 84 76 87 76 / 90 70 80 50
GPT 81 73 84 75 / 100 90 90 60
PQL 80 71 83 73 / 100 90 90 60
&&
.LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...Flash Flood Watch through Thursday morning for LAZ034>037-039-
046>050-056>061-063>072-075>078.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 7 AM CDT Thursday for LAZ064-
066>070-076-078.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT this morning for GMZ550-552-
555-557-570-572-575-577.
MS...Flash Flood Watch through Thursday morning for MSZ068>071-077-
080>082.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 7 AM CDT Thursday for MSZ080-081.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT this morning for GMZ552-555-
557-570-572-575-577.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
349 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1119 AM FLASH FLOOD 3 S LAPLACE 30.03N 90.46W
09/14/2021 ST. CHARLES LA PUBLIC
STREET/ROAD FLOODING;
STREET/ROAD CLOSED; VEHICLES STRANDED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
358 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0256 AM FLASH FLOOD LULING 29.93N 90.36W
09/15/2021 ST. CHARLES LA EMERGENCY MNGR
WATER IN HOMES AND NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED.
&&
TEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
402 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0301 AM FLASH FLOOD MONTZ 30.01N 90.47W
09/15/2021 ST. CHARLES LA EMERGENCY MNGR
WATER IN HOMES AND NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED.
&&
TEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
404 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0303 AM FLASH FLOOD BAYOU GAUCHE 29.80N 90.43W
09/15/2021 ST. CHARLES LA EMERGENCY MNGR
WATER IN HOMES AND NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED.
&&
TEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
507 AM CDT WED SEP 15 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0405 AM FLASH FLOOD PARISHWIDE 30.67N 90.39W
09/15/2021 TANGIPAHOA LA LAW ENFORCEMENT
NUMEROUS ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING ACROSS
THE PARISH.
&&
TEThe Mobile radar (KMOB), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:15 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A member of the public reported several flooded roads across the city of Gulfport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, September 2021
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 986766.