Tropical Storm Karl is moving south in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall overnight in Mexico. (Satellite image via NOAA)
In the last 100 years, the tropics have been the most active in August, September and October, with Sept. 10 being the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to federal forecasters. (graphic via NOAA)
image via National Hurricane Center
image via National Hurricane Center
Tropical Storm Karl is moving south in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall overnight in Mexico. (Satellite image via NOAA)
Tropical Storm Karl on Friday was moving south in the Gulf of Mexico on a track toward Mexico's southern coastline. Meanwhile, another disturbance is brewing in the Atlantic.
Karl is forecast to make landfall overnight and does not pose a threat to Louisiana. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and life-threatening rip currents to parts of Mexico.
The other system is in the open Atlantic and does not pose an immediate threat to the Gulf Coast.
Here’s what we know from hurricane forecasters as of 10 a.m. Friday.
image via National Hurricane Center
Tropical Storm Karl is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday, forecasters said. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin later in the day.
As of 10 a.m., it was about 80 miles northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, and 140 miles northeast of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. It's moving southeast at 7 mph.
It has winds of 45 mph, according to data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter crew. Gradual weakening is expected after landfall and the system is forecast to dissipate over southern Mexico by Saturday night.
It's expected to bring up to 10 inches of rain along with life-threatening rip currents to parts of Mexico.
Read the full advisory with the current watches and warnings.
image via National Hurricane Center
Hurricane forecasters also are tracking a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms that is several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
The system is expected to move west at 10 mph through early next week. For the next few days, environmental conditions appear marginally favorable for some slow development, meteorologists said. Conditions are expected to be more hostile for development early next week.
The disturbance has a 20% chance of developing into a tropical depression within five days.
The shaded area on the graphic is where a storm could develop and is not a track. The National Hurricane Center releases a track when a tropical depression forms or is about to form.
The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5). Systems are named when they develop into a tropical storm.
This is historically the busiest time of the Atlantic hurricane season.
In the last 100 years, the tropics have been the most active in August, September and October, with Sept. 10 being the peak of the season, according to federal forecasters. About 80% of the systems that have hit the Gulf Coast formed during this time, according to the National Weather Service in Slidell.
In the last 100 years, the tropics have been the most active in August, September and October, with Sept. 10 being the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to federal forecasters. (graphic via NOAA)
So far, there have been ten named storms this season - Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia and Karl. The next available name is Lisa.
Hurricane season ends Nov. 30, but storms can form any time.
Now is the time to review hurricane plans and ensure your property is ready for any storm threats. Here are some tips from the National Weather Service:
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