Weakening Karl heads toward Mexico, Atlantic threat emerges

Tropical Storm Karl is inching toward Mexico’s coast Friday morning and could lose its tropical storm status before landfall. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a new threat in the eastern Atlantic.

As of the center’s 11 a.m. update, Karl was about 80 miles north-northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, moving south-southeast at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds at 45 mph, up from 40 mph just three hours prior.

The storm, which will not impact Florida, is not expected to strengthen significantly before it reaches the Tabasco or Veracruz states of Mexico late Friday night or early Saturday. It will weaken once it makes landfall. The hurricane center is confident that Karl’s strength will likely not change before landfall but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the storm becoming a depression before arriving on the coast.

Vertical wind shear is diminishing Karl on Friday morning, but Karl is expected to hang onto its tropical storm status for the next day as it crawls toward Mexico. Karl is expected to produce 3 to 7 inches of rain, with up to 10 inches in some areas, across portions of Veracruz and Tabasco states in Mexico from Friday into Saturday night, according to the hurricane center.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Mexico from Alvarado to Sabancuy.

Meanwhile, forecasters are watching a tropical wave located several hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands and is producing a broad area of showers and thunderstorms. The wave is in an ideal environment for slow tropical growth as it moves west at about 10 mph. The wave has a 20 percent chance of developing in the next five days and a 10 percent chance of developing in the next two days.

Although, the wave will likely face upper-level winds by next week diminishing its chances of becoming the next tropical storm.

If it does develop, the tropical storm would receive the name, Lisa.