UPDATE 4-Ida sloshes ashore, US Gulf oil operations recover

(For full coverage of Ida, click [ID:nN09265408])

* Gulf of Mexico oil operations resuming after disruption

* Weakening Ida downgraded to tropical depression

* US Gulf States suffer rain, but little damage reported (Adds details of recovering Gulf of Mexico oil operations)

By Kelli Dugan

MOBILE, Ala., Nov 10 (Reuters) - Ida dwindled to a tropical depression on Tuesday after crawling ashore in Alabama from the Gulf of Mexico, and oil operations in the Gulf were quickly returning to normal after being widely disrupted by the storm.

Ida, which at its peak had been a late-season Category 2 hurricane, made its first U.S. landfall at Mobile, Alabama. As it brought rain inland, it appeared to cause only limited flooding and minimal power outages.

Gulf of Mexico oil and natural gas companies, many of which carried out evacuations of personnel and shutdowns as Ida passed on Monday, were restoring operations on Tuesday. [ID:nN10304093] (For details on restored production see Factbox [ID:nN10308574])

Giant energy facilities in the Gulf like the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port and the Independence Hub hoped to restore operations late on Tuesday or early on Wednesday, according to owners and operators.

The storm on Monday had shut down almost 30 percent of Gulf of Mexico oil production and nearly 28 percent of gas output.

Crude oil prices, which jumped $2 per barrel on Monday as Ida churned through the Gulf, dropped on Tuesday as the reports of quick restarts by oil companies arrived. [ID:nSP476555]

"Ida has lost tropical characteristics and its winds are expected to slowly diminish during the next day or so," the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

DIMINISHING INTENSITY

Ida's winds decreased to near 35 miles per hour (55 kilometers per hour) and the hurricane center said all storm warnings had been discontinued. The weakening weather system was turning east over northern Florida after dumping rain over parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle region.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it expected to reopen the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday afternoon. [ID:nN10317295]

As Ida earlier trekked northward toward the Gulf of Mexico over parts of Central America, torrential rain, floods and mudslides caused 144 deaths in El Salvador in the last few days.