Nicholas was downgraded to a tropical depression earlier today. While Nicholas was stronger, gusty winds knocked down some trees and power lines, but now it is mostly just a rain event. Lots of rain. The old rule of thumb for rain from a tropical system is the total amount of rain from a storm in inches is 100 divided by the forward speed in miles per hour. Right now Nicholas is moving at 6 mph, so that would mean a rain event of something like 16 inches. While this is a pretty rough rule of thumb, it gives you an idea of how much rain could hit eastern Texas and western Louisiana. The rainfall map below shows the additional rain that is likely to come, not including what they have already gotten, so it will be interesting to see what the total rainfall ends up being. Of course, it will be sad, too, because of the devastation the floods and wind will leave behind. In the Southeast, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle will be the hardest hit with all that moisture moving in from the Gulf. Parts of Georgia may get a couple of inches, especially the southwestern part. After that, the blob of moisture formerly known as Nicholas will spin down and drift off to the northeast, but the steering currents are light so it is hard to predict exactly where it will go. We can expect to see some showers from the residual moisture over the next few days. There will be less chance in the Carolinas and Virginia.
