PORT O'CONNOR, Texas, July 15 (UPI) -- Hurricane Claudette was downgraded to a tropical storm late Tuesday as it pushed deeper into South Texas after making landfall earlier,near Port O'Connor.
At 5 p.m. EDT, Claudette was 40 miles west-southwest of Victoria, still packing winds of near 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving west-northwest at 14 mph and producing 5 to 8 inches of rain.
Hurricane forecasters said Claudette has tropical force winds extending as far as 140 miles, mainly over water. The hurricane made landfall at noon and was expected to degrade to a tropical depression by late night or Wednesday.
There were widespread reports of damaged roofs, downed power lines and trees from Port O'Connor north along the coast to Galveston. There were no immediate reports of loss of life, but the Coast Guard was busy with rescues.
