Nicholas dumps 6 to 9.5 inches of rain on Avoyelles in 30-hour period

Tropical Depression Nicholas continues to cry all over Avoyelles Parish today. The storm will bring more rain to the area through Friday, the National Weather Service predicts.

Avoyelles meteorologist Louis Coco, of KLIL Radio, said a rare non-stop day-long rain from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning has dumped over six inches of rain in most areas of the parish, 8.5 inches in the Goudeau-Evergreen area and 9.5 inches in Eola. Schools were closed Wednesday due to the heavy rains. Government offices were also closed.

Nicholas came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane near Bay City, west of Galveston and south of Houston, early Tuesday morning. It weakened to a tropical storm a few hours later and then to a tropical depression Tuesday night near Port Arthur. The latest map of Nicholas' path have the storm entering Louisiana around 10 a.m. as a tropical rainstorm.

The bad news for water-weary Louisianians is that Nick is taking his time and enjoying the South Louisiana scenery, moving at only 3 mph with a seemingly endless supply of rain to share with others on his trip. The storm will be near the community of Niblett by Thursday morning and near Crowley and Rayne by Thursday afternoon. By early Friday morning the storm will be between Carencro and Arnaudville and at Livonia by Friday afternoon.

Avoyelles Emergency Preparedness Director Joey Frank said there was some street flooding reported in Marksville and Bunkie due to a sudden heavy downpour between 3 and 5 a.m. Wednesday. There were flash flood warnings issued for this area during the height of the rainstorm.

"If it had been a regular heavy rain, the drainage systems would have been able to handle it," Frank said. "There was so much rain in that short period that it overwhelmed the system."

Marksville recorded a 30-hour total rainfall of 6.8 inches and Bunkie had 7.4 inches, Coco said.

Frank said there was water over La. Hwy 114 between Hessmer and Mansura and over La. Hwy 115 between Bunkie and I-49. Coco said he received a report of a tree falling between Hessmer and Marksville.

There were less than 100 scattered power outages in Avoyelles Parish as of Wednesday morning.

NIcholas' current path takes it from near Lake Charles around 1 p.m. Wednesday to between Lafayette and Carencro Thursday afternoon and taking a slightly northeast route to Livonia and New Roads by early Friday morning.

Coco said this area could get more rain from the system than those communities in the direct path of the storm.

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