Tropical Storm Karen Tracker: Storm Approaches Gulf Coast

Impact

TTropical Storm Karen, the first named storm predicted to make U.S. landfall this hurricane season, is forecasted to hit the gulf coast sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. A hurricane watch has been put into effect from Grand Isle, La. to Destin, Fla. Mississippi and Louisiana have been place under states of emergency, and as well as part of Florida. Karen, which is currently at tropical storm strength, is not expected to be upgraded to a hurricane by the time it makes landfall. 

This is the projected path of the storm:

Watches currently in effect:

The storm has sustained winds of approximately 60 mph and could bring up to eight inches of rain to the gulf coast. Unlikely to be upgraded to hurricane-strength, Karen isn't expected to grow much stronger than it is now, and is predicted to weaken quickly and move out of the gulf area without lingering. The storm will make its way north, hitting New York on Tuesday with forecasted winds of 25 mph.

Karen comes late in the current hurricane season, which ends on November 1. "Hopefully, this one is just a little rain event," said Grand Island Mayor David Camardelle. "We don't need a big storm coming at us this late in the season."

There is a degree of uncertainty when forecasting Karen's impact, as the storm makes landfall amidst a federal government shutdown.