Tropical Storm Nicholas approaches the Texas coast on Sept. 13, 2021. (NOAA)
HOUSTON - Hurricane Nicholas barreled into Southeast Texas overnight, bringing not just torrential rains but also high winds.
Nicholas made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near Sargent Beach, Texas. It has since weakened to a tropical storm as it limps east into Louisiana.
Heavy rain was the main troublemaker with Nicholas dumping upwards of a foot of rain in some places along the Gulf Coast. However, the winds were nothing to shrug off.
RELATED: Here’s how much rain Nicholas dumped on SE Texas
At Bush Intercontinental Airport, the official weather reporting station for Houston, a peak wind gust of 51 mph was reported just before 7 a.m. Tuesday. At Hobby Airport, a peak gust of 58 mph was reported just before 3 a.m.
By far, the highest winds associated with Nicholas were reported along the coast. Here’s a look at the 10 strongest wind gust reports from the National Weather Service.
- Matagorda Bay: 94 mph
- Brazos 451 Oilp: 81 mph
- Jones Creek (46 miles south-southwest): 81 mph
- Magnolia Beach (13 miles east-southeast): 81 mph
- Surfside Beach (1 miles south-southwest): 78 mph
- Palacios: 77 mph
- Port O'Connor: 75 mph
- Bay City (18 miles south): 74 mph
- Port O'Connor (second report): 72 mph
- Levee (Galveston County): 70 mph
To view the full NWS wind gust report, click here.
This browser does not support the Video element.
VIDEO: Heavy rain, strong wind from Nicholas in Texas
Videos in Port Arthur, Matagorda and Galveston show the effects of Nicholas, which made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane.