Ike weakens to tropical depression over Arkansas

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Ike weakened to a tropical depression as it headed across western Arkansas on Sunday, after making landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane, paralyzing Houston and flooding Galveston and other coastal areas.

At 1 a.m. CDT (2 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, Ike's center was 105 miles west-northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm carried top sustained winds near 35 mph (55 kph), and was moving north-northeast near 24 mph (39 kph).

(Editing by Peter Cooney)