Tropical Storm Erika doesn't fulfill forecasts for hurricane

BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- Tropical Storm Erika petered out as it made landfall short of hurricane strength Saturday, shaving palm trees and shattering a few car windows but doing little significant damage.

The storm struck about 30 miles south of Brownsville, on the edge of the Mexican border city of Matamoros.

Downed trees and roof damage were reported in Mexico, but after bringing high winds and heavy rain in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, Erika was expected to break up over the Mexico's high inland terrain by today.

By midafternoon, Erika was centered in inland Mexico, about 95 miles southwest of Brownsville. The system was dissipating as it moved west-southwest at about 17 mph.

All hurricane and tropical storm warnings were discontinued, and most Rio Grande Valley residents awakened to mostly dry skies rather than the predicted daylong torrents.

"It made landfall, and normally land-falling tropical systems weaken," said Jason Straub, a National Weather Service forecaster.

The brunt of the storm came between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., when driving rains threatened to turn low-lying areas into quagmires and prompted more than 1,200 people to crowd into shelters at local schools.

Hundreds streamed into Hanna High School in Brownsville, carrying piles of blankets and coolers full of food. The halls were lined with families huddled on blankets.

"My mother decided to come because she didn't trust the house," said Juan Coronado, an 18-year-old who spent much of a sleepless night rocking his 3-month-old cousin. Eight family members sat next to him on sleeping bags.

Strong winds and intermittent rain bands caused scattered power outages on South Padre Island.

Texas Division of Emergency Management spokes-man William Ayres said there were no reports of significant damage or flooding. American Electric Power, which covers much of the Rio Grande Valley, said that about 6,500 consumers were briefly without power overnight. By midmorning, the number was down to 2,350.

Tourists strolling the South Padre beach Saturday said they had been more curious about the storm than afraid.

"We got up, looked outside, videotaped and took a few pictures and went back to sleep," said Tracie Thurman, a vacationer from Colombia, Mo.

Erika arrived one month after Hurricane Claudette slammed Texas about 75 miles farther north.