(September 7, 2010)—Tropical Storm Hermine weakened to a tropical depression Tuesday evening, but was still producing heavy rain across Central Texas.

Hermine was about 5 miles southwest of Brady Tuesday evening and was moving north-northwest at 35 miles per hour.

Continued weakening is expected.

Hermine was still a tropical storm late Tuesday afternoon and was spawning heavy rain and possible tornadoes in Central and North Texas.

A tornado watch was in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday for areas west of a line from Hearne to Ennis to Sherman and a flash flood watch is in effect through Thursday morning for most of Central Texas.

Hermine was about 65 miles west-southwest of Austin Tuesday afternoon, moving north-northwest at 18 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.

Forecasters say Hermine could produce rainfall accumulations of 4 to 6 inches with isolated totals of as much as 10 inches in an area stretching from the middle Texas coast through Central Texas and over Central and Eastern Oklahoma.

The rain the storm produced Tuesday broke records in Houston, San Antonio, Bryan-College Station and Austin.

More than 3 inches of rain fell at Waco Regional Airport.

Tornado warnings were issued in several North Texas counties Tuesday.

The storm spawned reports of at least two tornadoes on Tuesday - near Moulton, about 80 miles east of San Antonio, and near Benbrook, a Fort Worth suburb.

No significant damage was reported.

In South Texas more than 30,000 homes were without power Tuesday after the storm moved ashore.

An online outage map for electric provider AEP Texas showed more than 26,000 homes in Cameron County didn't have power Tuesday morning hours.

Some 4,400 homes in neighboring Willacy County were without power.

Meanwhile Mexican emergency officials worked to evacuate 3,500 people around Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville.

Schools on both sides of the border canceled classes Tuesday.

Hermine ripped the roof off a roadside motel and left most of the town without power in Raymondville.

A couple who in a second-story room when the ceiling began bowing up and down opened the door just in time to watch the awning get peeled back like a lid.

They helped two other families flee the hotel and then returned Tuesday to find half the roof over their room gone, and everything soaked and covered with ceiling tile and mud.

The Salvation Army sent a mobile feeding unit and personnel from Corpus Christi to the affected area and four other mobile units remained on standby Tuesday.