Half Of Texas Without Power As Hurricane Nicholas Slams The Coast

Nicholas intensified into a Category 1 hurricane early this morning before making landfall southwest of Galveston, Texas. The storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph as it slowly traverses the Greater Houston area.  Much of Texas' coastline is under tropical storm warning, and metro areas like Houston could be prone to flash floods. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said first responders are in the Houston area and along the coast.    Meteorologist Kent Prochazka of the National Weather Service told…