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Hurricane Nicholas (2021)

Hurricane Nicholas was a Category 1 hurricane at its peak, with 75 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 988 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 6 of the cities we track; the strongest was League City, TX, with a modeled peak gust of 64 mph.

Peak strength75 mph winds (1-minute)
Category 1
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track
6
LandfallsFirst September 14, 2021
1
Lowest pressure
988 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

  • Depression or weaker
  • Tropical storm
  • Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
  • Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
  • Landfall
  • City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
  • Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)
Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Nicholas’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

  1. September 14, 2021, Category 1 at 75 mph, about 62 miles from Sugar Land, TX

Modeled winds at cities (6)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

CityPeak gustSustainedClosest passPeak
League City, TX64 mph52 mph1 milesSep 14, 2021, 5:15 AM CDT
Pearland, TX62 mph50 mph12 milesSep 14, 2021, 5:30 AM CDT
Pasadena, TX61 mph50 mph12 milesSep 14, 2021, 5:45 AM CDT
Houston, TX60 mph49 mph27 milesSep 14, 2021, 7:15 AM CDT
Sugar Land, TX57 mph46 mph25 milesSep 14, 2021, 4:00 AM CDT
Beaumont, TX56 mph46 mph4 milesSep 14, 2021, 7:00 AM CDT

What happened

Nicholas formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and made landfall on the eastern Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, less than 10 nautical miles west-southwest of Sargent Beach, at 12:30 a.m. CDT on September 14, 2021, as a Category 1 hurricane with 65-knot (75 mph) winds.1 A station on Matagorda Island measured a gust of 82 knots (94 mph), and Freeport Harbor measured a 74-knot (85 mph) gust.1

Storm surge flooded parts of the coast 3 to 6 feet above ground between Port O'Connor and the Bolivar Peninsula and along Galveston Bay, most in Brazoria, Galveston and Harris counties, and survey crews found high water marks of 5.4 feet at Jamaica Beach and 5.1 feet at Sylvan Beach.1 Matagorda and Brazoria counties were hit hardest, with moderate damage to home roofs.1 From Freeport to Corpus Christi, several piers were badly damaged or destroyed and water got into homes near the beaches.1 Homes in Galveston, Harris and Fort Bend counties had moderate wind damage.1 Rain in Texas totaled up to 10.19 inches, near Freeport, and flash flooding hit Galveston's Strand District.1

In Louisiana, rain totaled up to 17.29 inches in Tangipahoa Parish, and floodwater entered homes in Luling, Montz and Bayou Gauche in St. Charles Parish.1 NHC reports no tornadoes and two direct deaths, both from flooding in Alabama.1 NOAA's preliminary estimate is $1 billion in US damage.1

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Nicholas (AL142021)

Best track (21 positions)

TimeStatusWindPressurePosition
Sep 12, 12:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1008 mb21.0°N, 95.2°W
Sep 12, 18:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1008 mb22.4°N, 95.6°W
Sep 13, 00:00 UTCTropical storm46 mph1007 mb23.7°N, 96.1°W
Sep 13, 06:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1001 mb24.8°N, 96.5°W
Sep 13, 12:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph1000 mb25.9°N, 96.7°W
Sep 13, 18:00 UTCTropical storm63 mph998 mb27.0°N, 96.6°W
Sep 14, 00:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph988 mb28.0°N, 96.2°W
Sep 14, 05:30 UTC (landfall)Category 1 hurricane75 mph991 mb28.7°N, 95.7°W
Sep 14, 06:00 UTCCategory 1 hurricane75 mph991 mb28.8°N, 95.7°W
Sep 14, 12:00 UTCTropical storm58 mph999 mb29.3°N, 95.4°W
Sep 14, 18:00 UTCTropical storm40 mph1003 mb29.6°N, 94.9°W
Sep 15, 00:00 UTCTropical depression35 mph1003 mb29.9°N, 94.4°W
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