Nicholas strengthens to hurricane ahead of Texas landfall

Nicholas strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Monday as it headed toward landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast and it was expected to bring heavy rain and floods to coastal areas from Mexico to storm-battered Louisiana. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said top sustained winds reached 75 mph (120 kph) a few hours before expected landfall. Although the system was expected to generate only a fraction as much rain as Harvey, a hurricane warning was issued for Port O'Connor to Freeport, as well as a hurricane watch from Freeport to the western tip of Galveston Island.