The hurricane showed maximum sustained winds of 75 mph with higher gusts before weakening back into a tropical storm. Nicholas is projected to weaken further into a tropical depression by Tuesday night.

More than 500,000 were left without power in Texas Tuesday morning in the wake of the storm, according to poweroutage.us, which compiles outage data from various utility companies. By 4 p.m. ET, about 227,000 were still without power in the state.

Kenny Mercado, executive vice president of electric utility at CenterPoint Energy, asked customers for patience as they wait for power to be restored since some areas of the company’s system and equipment were difficult to reach after the storm due to “safety-related issues.”

Photos of Nicholas’ aftermath shared on social media showed fallen trees, flooded streets and debris strewn over roads in parts of Texas, though officials haven’t yet reported any fatalities.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations for several counties Monday in anticipation of the storm, and tweeted Tuesday morning that the state had sent resources to affected areas to aid relief efforts.

“Texas has deployed swift-water boats, helicopters & high profile vehicles to help local authorities with rescue efforts arising from flooding & high winds. Emergency shelters have been set up for residents who might be displaced by #HurricaneNicholas,” Abbott’s tweet said.

A Tuesday advisory from the National Hurricane Center “life-threatening” flash flooding was expected in the deep South over the next couple of days. This includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The storm is expected to rain five to 10 inches over parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. Southern Louisiana could also see storm totals of 20 inches, the advisory said.

Louisiana Gov. John Edwards, whose emergency declaration for the state was approved by President Joe Biden Monday, encouraged state residents to take the threat of Nicholas “very seriously” by staying off flooded roads and making preparations.

The live updates for this event have ended.

Additional sites outside the area may also close, but that will depend on whether weather conditions deteriorate further, Kanter said.

The 38 parish offices are a combination of ones already closed from Hurricane Ida and those closing in anticipation of adverse weather from the tropical storm.

The governor warned people to avoid traveling or leaving the home due to threats of flash flooding from the storm, noting that deaths from Hurricane Ida are still being reported.

Edwards said that the Nicholas-related outages were primarily in areas where power had already been restored after Ida.

“That’s particularly challenging because many individuals live in homes that have not yet been repaired and not yet really even been temporarily repaired to the point where they can withstand rain,” Edwards said.

Many homes in the area have not had their power restored, which could now be pushed back further because of Tropical Storm Nicholas, Edwards said. Some homes and businesses that have had their power restored could lose power again from the incoming storm, he added.

Parts of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi are also experiencing or will experience effects of the storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The warnings cautioned of steep waves, observed waterspouts and winds up to 34 knots, or a little over 39 mph.

Special marine warnings were also issued for Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas in Louisiana in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicholas.

The state is still recovering from Ida’s onslaught more than two weeks after it made landfall in the U.S. Between five and 10 inches of rain are expected to fall on certain parts of Louisiana as the Nicholas makes its way across the south.

Southern Louisiana could see storm totals of 20 inches, a National Hurricane Center advisory said.

Currently located east of the Bahamas, the system would be named Odette if it strengthens into a tropical storm and would add to the growing list of 14 named storms so far in the Atlantic hurricane season.

“Life-threatening” flash flooding, especially in urban areas, may be seen in the regions anticipated to be affected by the storm. Southern Louisiana could also see storm totals of 20 inches, the advisory said.

Nearly 80,000 customers were reported to be without power in Harris County, where Houston is located, according to poweroutage.us.

The briefing will also focus on the state’s continued recovery efforts from Hurricane Ida.

The briefing is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on the governor’s Facebook page or website.

After Tropical Storm Nicholas moved across Houston and the Houston area, a carport was left hanging from power lines. Power workers have restored power to about 100,000 customers in Texas since the storm caused mass outages Tuesday morning, but more than 400,000 are still without power, according to poweroutage.us.

The warnings reference possible waterspouts and wind speeds greater than 34 knots, or a little over 39 mph. The warnings also cautioned that the lakes could see steep waves.

The hurricane caused more than 500,000 power outages in Texas Tuesday, which power companies are in progress of restoring. Colonial Pipeline Co. said in a statement, cited by Bloomberg, that shipments were halted as a “temporary and precautionary measure.”

More than 500,000 people in the state were initially without power Tuesday, according to poweroutage.us. As of 12:15 p.m. ET, a little more than 450,000 were without power.

The mayor’s office acknowledged that many lost power from the weather’s impact, but considered the failure of Nicholas to cause as much damage as expected a “big blessing.”

“We are working on cleaning debris & restoring to normal operations as soon as possible,” the tweet said.

While New Orleans had seen success in power restorations, tens of thousands of customers outside the city are still waiting to have their electricity turned back on. Many others who saw their homes damaged or even destroyed during the hurricane are now faced with additional severe weather from Nicholas, though the storm is projected to weaken into a tropical depression by Tuesday night.

Tropical storm conditions are expected along the Louisiana coast through Tuesday afternoon, and the southern part of the state could potentially see one or two tornados into Tuesday night, the National Hurricane Center said.

President Joe Biden on Monday approved an emergency declaration from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, which mobilizes federal resources to aid preparatory and recovery efforts for Nicholas.

As a hurricane, Nicholas sustained maximum winds of 75 mph with higher gusts. As of an 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center, the tropical storm’s maximum winds were 45 mph.

The storm’s pace of movement also slowed since the last advisory released at 8 a.m., when it was traveling at about 8 mph. Nicholas is now moving northeast at about 6 mph, the 11 a.m. advisory said. A continued decrease in speed should continue over the next couple days, and little storm motion is expected on Thursday.

A storm surge warning is still in effect for Port Bolivar to Sabine Pass, which includes Galveston Bay. A tropical storm warning is in place for High Island, Texas, to Cameron, while a storm surge watch is in place for Sabine Pass to Cameron.

The storm was moving slowly across the Houston Metropolitan Area at the time of the advisory and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 140 miles, mainly over water.