Willa weakens to tropical depression, still brings rain

Hurricane Willa weakened rapidly into a tropical depression on Wednesday after slamming into a stretch of beach towns, fishing villages and farms along Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm, though it continued to dump torrential rains over west-central Mexico.

Damage assessments were scanty before dawn due to darkness and poor communications, but federal officials said power had been knocked out in some spots and there were early reports of flimsy structures with tin roofs sustaining damage from the 120 mph (195 kph) winds.

Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque in the state of Sinaloa . . .