Abbott holds briefing as Texas braces for Tropical Storm Nicholas

As a precaution, Abbott ordered state resources to be placed on standby along the length of the Texas Gulf Coast.

AUSTIN, Texas - Governor Greg Abbott held a briefing on Tropical Storm Nicholas. Abbott spoke from the Texas Division of Emergency Management's Alternate State Operations Center in North Austin.

Tropical Storm Nicholas gathered strength Monday and threatened to blow ashore in Texas as a hurricane that could bring up to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf Coast, including the same area hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and storm-battered Louisiana.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the system’s top sustained winds reached 60 mph (95 kph). If the winds hit 74 mph, the storm would become a Category 1 hurricane. It was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) on a track to pass near the South Texas coast later in the day, then move onshore in the evening.

As a precaution, Abbott ordered state resources to be placed on standby along the length of the Texas Gulf Coast. Among the state resources placed on standby were air and boat rescue teams and emergency medical groups.

"We will continue to closely monitor this storm and take all necessary precautions to keep Texans safe," Abbott said in a statement. "I encourage Texans to follow the guidance and warnings of their local officials and be mindful of potential heavy rain and flooding."

The Associated Press contributed to this article

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