Hurricane Dean limped across Mexico today as a weakened tropical depression, but still dumped torrential rains that flooded rivers and drenched mudslide-prone mountains.

A sprawling Hurricane Dean slammed into Mexico for the second time in as many days and quickly stretched across to the Pacific Ocean, drenching the central mountains with rain that swelled rivers before weakening into a tropical storm.

Hurricane Dean raked the Mexican mainland Wednesday and battered evacuated oil platforms, forcing thousands to flee as it regained some of the force it unleashed on the Yucatan Peninsula.