Hurricane Nate landed in the US, near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, late on Saturday (7 October). It has now been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to further weaken as it moves across the mainland.

After killing at least 25 people in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras, the storm pummelled the US Gulf Coast, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (137km/h) and torrential rain.

More from IBTimes UK

Nate struck the US as a category one storm but has weakened since, turning into a tropical storm as it moved inland to Mississippi and Alabama.

Winds had decreased to 70 mph (110 km/h) by Sunday morning (8 October) and the US National Hurricane Center said that the storm would continue to get weaker.

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida issued flash flood warnings and evacuation orders ahead of the hurricane's landfall amid concerns of rapidly rising sea waters.

Hours before the hurricane struck, President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Louisiana, allowing the state to request federal aid.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said more than 1,000 National Guard troops had been evacuated to monitor the situation across the state.

"Anyone in low-lying areas... we are urging them to prepare now," he said.

In New Orleans a mandatory curfew from 6pm (11pm GMT) was put in place and residents outside the levee system, the flood walls around the city, were evacuated.

Five ports along the Gulf Coast were closed as a precaution and most oil and gas platforms evacuated their staff before the hurricane hit.

Nate has caused flooding in several US states, but no deaths or injuries have so far been reported.