Tropical Storm Nate's winds rapidly weaken to 45 mph

Storm clouds are seen over the Mississippi River as Hurricane Nate approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. on October 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Nate's maximum sustained winds dropped to 45 miles per hour (70 km per hour), the National Hurricane Center said on Sunday morning, a few hours after it swept ashore in Mississippi as a hurricane. The storm was "rapidly weakening," the center said in an advisory, which said heavy rains and storm surge flooding continued in the region. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; editing by John Stonestreet)