Two weeks after Hurricane Ida rocked Louisiana and numerous other states, another storm is heading ashore towards Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Tropical Storm Nicholas formed on Sunday, Sept. 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and is setting itself up to slam Texas before making its way into Louisiana.

Reconnaissance planes are being sent into the storm today and tomorrow as it continues to develop, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Shreveport, C. S. Ross said.

“The current track has the storm curving up the southeastern border of Texas and crossing into Louisiana by Wednesday afternoon,” said Ross.

Ross said that central Louisiana should expect areas of heavy rainfall, with the Natchitoches area forecasted to receive three to four inches of rainfall, with some areas possibly getting six inches of rainfall through Friday morning.

“As the storm gets closer, this could change,” Julie Powell, the NSU environmental health and safety officer, said. “Everyone should plan on staying off the roads and exercise caution during this time.”

Flooding is common during the regular rain showers Natchitoches receives. When it comes to severe rainstorms, it is important to stay safe when traveling.

“Should you get caught in the rain, never attempt to drive through standing water,” said Powell. “Remember, turn around don’t drown!”

With Entergy Corporation reporting that all residents of New Orleans have had their power restored post Hurricane Ida, Tropical Storm Nicholas could prove worrisome.

“There may be some tree and powerline damage, and even electrical power disruptions,” Ross said.
Hurricane season started this year on June 1 and has caused major wind damage, with this newest storm following that trend.

“Currently it’s producing winds of 60 mph and is slowly strengthening and should come ashore as a category one hurricane,” Ross reported.

Ross said that the Natchitoches area could get wind gusts upwards of 40 miles per hour.

Kamarreo Jernigan, a freshman biology major said, “This storm is the only thing I hear people talking about in the hallways.”

“At this point it feels like we are going through a cycle of bad weather week after week,” Jernigan said. “With so many classes having to postpone assignments for the last hurricane, I can only imagine what will come of this one.”