Texas on alert as Tropical Storm Nicholas upgraded to hurricane

Heavy rains could lead to streets and homes being flooded with Hurricane Nicholas expected to make landfall early Tuesday

Tropical storm Nicholas has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it headed toward making landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast, and 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 75mph (120 km/h). The hurricane was traveling north-northeast at 10mph (17 km/h) and was forecast to pass near Matagorda Bay in the upper Texas Gulf Coast later Monday, then move onshore along the south-east Texas coast into Tuesday evening.