(CNN) -- Rita, which stormed ashore early Saturday as a Category 3 hurricane, was downgraded late in the night to a tropical depression, with sustained surface winds of 38 mph or less.

At 11 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said Rita's maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph.

Distillate leaks at natural gas hub following Hurricane Rita

ABBEVILLE, La. (CNN) -- A distillate used in processing natural gas was leaking Saturday night from a rupture at Henry Hub in Louisiana, which connects numerous natural gas pipelines in the region, but state officials said the incident posed no danger to residents.

Henry Hub is at the Sabine Pipe Line Henry Gas Processing Plant in Erath, La., part of Vermilion Parish. Vermilion was one of the three parishes worst hit by Hurricane Rita.

The officials said the chemical was leaking from a tank into a levee meant to contain such spills. The cause of the leak was being investigated. (Posted 10:15 p.m.)

Rita rains move northward

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Rita was drifting north late Saturday at a steady speed, and forecasters expected the weakening storm to move eastward before stalling over the juncture of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas -- possibly dumping 15 inches of rain or more in some areas.

Up to 10 inches of rain was possible in New Orleans over the next 48 hours, as the city tries to recover from Hurricane Katrina, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

About 18 tornado warnings were issued by the National Weather Service Saturday night. Ten were reported on the ground, with one fatality, Myers said.

At 8 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said Rita was near Shreveport, La., moving north at 11 mph. (Posted 9:20 p.m.)

Rupture reported at natural gas hub following Hurricane Rita

ABBEVILLE, La. (CNN) -- Authorities responded Saturday to a rupture at Henry Hub, which connects numerous natural gas pipelines running through the region, two government officials in the region said.

Henry Hub is at the Sabine Pipe Line Henry Gas Processing Plant in Erath, La., part of Vermilion Parish. Vermilion was one of the three parishes worst hit by Hurricane Rita.

Officials were trying to determine what caused the rupture. (Posted 8:44 p.m.)

Emergency official: Up to 1,000 people may need rescue in southwest Louisiana

ABBEVILLE, La. (CNN) -- A search-and-rescue mission was to resume Sunday morning south of Abbeville in Vermilion Parish, where Gov. Kathleen Blanco said many families were trapped after failing to heed mandatory evacuation orders for Hurricane Rita.

An emergency management official said earlier that as many as 1,000 people may need rescue because of rising floodwaters.

The governor said she was told by Gen. Robert LeBlanc, director of the Vermilion Parish Emergency Operations center, that 250 people were rescued Saturday.

The National Weather Service expected water to continue rising on Sunday. (Posted 8:42 p.m.)

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