Storm Willa weakens while pushing inland from Mexico’s Pacific coast

Willa’s fierce winds eased as the storm barreled inland over Mexico early on Wednesday, unleashing heavy rains, according to forecasters and officials. Willa, a Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, hit late on Tuesday near the town of Isla del Bosque in the northwestern state of Sinaloa with winds of 120mph (195kph), thrashing buildings with rain in the coastal towns and resorts. “The population took cover in time,” Reuters quoted Luis Felipe Puente, head of the country’s Civil Protection agency, as saying. Authorities were expected to open roads on Wednesday. Willa drove into Mexico about 50 miles (80km) south of Mazatlan, a major city in Sinaloa. Willa had reached rare Category 5 status on Monday with winds nearing 160mph (260 kph) before it began to lose power. The storm weakened into a depression as it moved inland over west-central Mexico early on Wednesday but was still expected to dump heavy rains across the region before dissipating by early afternoon.