GUAYMAS, Mexico (AP) -- Tropical Storm Marty sideswiped Mexico's western
mainland Tuesday before weakening into a tropical depression as it moved
northward, dumping rain on portions of the southwestern United States.

Marty's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph, down from a peak of 100
mph a day earlier, when hurricane-force winds slammed into the Los Cabos
tourist region on the Baja California peninsula. Authorities blamed five
deaths on the storm; one of the victims drowned as he was trying to secure
his boat, witnesses said.

Traveling quickly over the Gulf of California, Marty knocked out power to
Guaymas, the largest port in Sonora state. Phone lines went dead, the wind
toppled hotel signs, and two feet of water flowed down city streets.

"The highway is open, but maybe it shouldn't be," said Jon Guzman, a
salesman from Los Mochis who was stranded by the storm. "It's very
dangerous. It's become a giant lake."

Marty slowed down as it arrived over the northern Gulf of California
Tuesday, bringing heavy rain to parts of Arizona, New Mexico and extreme
western Texas. The storm later weakened to a depression and was expected to
dissipate within 24 hours, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center
in Miami.

But the center continued to warn of flash floods and mudslides because of
rainfall, which was expected to reach two to four inches in some areas.

CNN


--
Viaene Björn
http://users.telenet.be/weathersite

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