Ida Weakens to Tropical Depression Over Nicaragua

Ida has weakened to a tropical depression with 35 mph top winds as it sweeps over Nicaragua.

Graphic tracks the projected path of Hurricane Ida

(AP)

The storm rumbled ashore Thursday at hurricane strength, but began losing muscle as it moved over land, dumping rain.

By Thursday night, Nicaragua's government had discontinued tropical storm warnings along the country's east coast. To the north, tropical storm watches were in effect for parts of Honduras.

The depression's center is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west-southwest of Puerto Cabezas. The depresssion is moving west-northwest near 5 mph.

The storm should get weaker over the next two days. It's expected to be back over the Caribbean seas Saturday and could regain some strength at that point.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Hurricane Ida swept onto Nicaragua's Atlantic coast Thursday, destroying homes, damaging schools and downing bridges before losing steam and becoming a tropical storm as it moved inland.

Ida's winds swirled at 75 mph (125 kph) when the storm struck land around sunrise in Tasbapauni, about 60 miles northeast of Bluefields, said meteorologist Dennis Feltgen of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The battering wrecked all but 20 of the 100 or so flimsy, wooden shacks in nearby Karawala, a fishing village near the mouth of the Rio Grande de Matagalpa, Nicaragua's National Civil Defense director, Mario Perez, said.

"There was major damage in the region's infrastructure, such as fallen bridges, damaged schools and government buildings, and electrical transmission towers and telephone service were knocked out," Perez said.

No deaths or injuries had been reported, but Perez said officials were still trying to get information from the sparsly populated, jungle-covered region.

The fast-developing storm grew into a tropical depression and then a hurricane within little more than a day, then lost power as it stalled over eastern Nicaragua, with winds slowing to 40 mph (65 kph).