Downtown Miami is engulfed in storm clouds as Tropical Storm Karen heads toward Florida.
Tropical Storm Karen was expected to move slowly northward over the central Gulf of Mexico Friday, possibly becoming a hurricane by Saturday, forecasters said.
Karen was about 340 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving north-northwest at 10 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 10 p.m. CDT Thursday advisory.
Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph with higher gusts.
A hurricane watch was in effect for Grand Isle, La., to west of Destin, Fla., and a tropical storm warning was in effect from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain.
Karen was expected to turn toward the north with a decrease in forward speed Friday with a gradual turn toward the northeast Saturday. The center was expected to be near the coast Saturday.
A storm surge combined with tides will cause normally dry areas near the coast to flood. If the peak surge occurs during high tide, the water level could reach 2 to 4 feet above ground at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the hurricane center said.
Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches was expected over parts of the central and eastern Gulf coast through Sunday night, with localized amounts of up to 12 inches possible. UPI
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