Tropical Storm Nicholas could cause life-threatening storm surge; see latest forecast here

The National Hurricane Center is reporting that Tropical Storm Nicholas could bring life-threatening storm surge to the Texas coast as it makes landfall. 

Nicholas has winds of 60 mph, and is 166 miles south of Corpus Christi as of NHC’s 4 a.m. update. Tropical-storm-force winds extend 115 miles from the center and should reach Texas this morning. 

According to the NHC, the storm may strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall. 

Here’s what we know.

Track the storm:Tropical Storm Nicholas threatens Texas: Follow the storm, spaghetti models

Nicholas storm surge threat in Texas

According to the NHC, life-threatening storm surge inundation is possible along the coast of Texas from Port Aransas to San Luis Pass. Corpus Christi Bay could see 2 to 4 feet of storm surge.

Residents who live in those areas should follow instructions given by their local officials.

Texas residents should also expect large amounts of rain and flooding. In Corpus Christi, anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of rain is possible.

Live:Watch live webcam as Tropical Storm Nicholas moves up the Gulf coast

How high might the storm surge get?

The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide, according to NHC:

• Port O’Connor to San Luis Pass, including Matagorda Bay: 3-5 feet
• San Luis Pass, Texas to Rutherford Beach, Louisiana, including Galveston Bay: 2-4 feet
• Mouth of the Rio Grande to Port O’Connor: 2-4 feet
• Baffin Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, Aransas Bay and San Antonio Bay: 2-4 feet
• Rutherford Beach to Intracoastal City: 1-3 feet
• Sabine Lake and Calcasieu Lake1-3 feet

Expect to see the deepest waters along the immediate coast, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves.

What to expect:Tropical Storm Nicholas: How much rain, flooding is expected for South Texas?

What is storm surge? Here’s the definition

Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides, according to National Hurricane Center.

Storm surge should not be confused with storm tide, which is defined as the water level rise due to the combination of storm surge and the astronomical tide.

This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas, particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide, resulting in storm tides reaching up to 20 feet or more in some cases.

Alesha Williams Boyd contributed to this report.