Celia, Blas weaken, but still bring heavy rain, surf

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Celia weakened to a tropical depression off Central America Saturday, as Tropical Storm Blas headed out to sea off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.

Celia stalled off the coast of El Salvador and Guatemala over the weekend but was expected to move west, toward Mexico, next week. The depression could still bring large rainfalls to the already-soaked Central American countries, and could regenerate into a storm.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of heavy rains over portions of Central America and Mexico.

The Hurricane Center said Celia had maximum sustained winds of 30 mph (45 kph) and was about 75 miles (125 kms) southwest of San Salvador. It was stationary.

Tropical Storm Blas continued to weaken Saturday in the Pacific. Blas was located about 325 miles (525 kms) south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was moving northwest.

The storm was bringing dangerous surf to the coast. The region was battered when Hurricane Agatha came ashore near Puerto Angel on May 30.