Tropical Storm Selma lashes El Salvador; new storm eyes Cuba

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Tropical Storm Selma made landfall on the coast of El Salvador on Saturday with strong winds, heavy rains and dangerous ocean swells, while another system developing in the Caribbean had its sights set on Cuba.

The US National Hurricane Center said Selma hit El Salvador's coast in the morning before losing strength over land, weakening to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). The storm's center was located about 45 miles (75 kilometers) east of San Salvador, and it was heading northeast at 8 mph (13 kph).

Forecasters said Selma would soak El Salvador, southern Guatemala and southern Honduras and dissipate by Saturday night, and Salvadoran Civil Defense director Jorge Melendez said the rains would be "strong and intense."