Jun 1, 2008 10:45 am US/Eastern
Arthur Weakens To Tropical Depression
Dumping Heavy Rain Over Mexico's Yucatan Pennisula
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Arthur, the first tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it continues to dump heavy rain over Mexico's southern Yucatan Peninsula.
At 10 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said the center of Arthur was located about 125 miles south of Campeche, Mexcio. The depression was moving to the west at about 8 mph and this movement was expected to continue throughout the day. Arthur's maximum sustained winds had dropped to near 35 mph and it is expected to weaken throughout Sunday.
While all tropical storm warnings for Mexico and Belize have been discontinued, forecasters say Arthur could drop 5 to 10 inches of rain and cause flash floods and mud slides.
At 5 a.m. the center of the storm was located inland about 115 miles south-southeast of Campeche, Mexico. It was moving west at about 7 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 miles per hour.
Arthur is not expected to be a threat to South Florida.
Tropical Storm Alma, which formed the basis for Arthur when the storm's remnants moved into the Atlantic basin weakened to a tropical depression Friday after slamming into Nicaragua's coast the day before, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and flooding low-lying areas before pushing into neighboring Honduras.
The National Hurricane Center said Alma was the first tropical storm to make landfall on Central America's Pacific coast before crossing Central America to become, under a different name, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm is not expected to affect the Florida peninsula, except possibly as an area of rain and disturbed weather. Tropical Storm Alma, which formed the basis for Arthur when the storm's remnants moved into the Atlantic basin weakened to a tropical depression Friday after slamming into Nicaragua's coast the day before, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and flooding low-lying areas before pushing into neighboring Honduras. The National Hurricane Center said Alma was the first tropical storm to make landfall on Central America's Pacific coast before crossing Central America to become, under a different name, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
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