Tropical Storm Karl strengthens off coast of Mexico

Tropical Storm Karl, a storm brewing in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, has been strengthening as of early Wednesday morning. However, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects it to begin to weaken by Thursday, per The Orlando Sentinel.

Karl was first detected in the Bay of Campeche on Tuesday, per AccuWeather. By the NHC's Wednesday update, the storm was located approximately 185 miles north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico, and about 170 miles east-northeast of Tuxpan, Mexico. An Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter reported Karl's maximum sustained winds at 45mph. The storm was moving at 6 mph, and its tropical-storm-force winds extended 105 miles from the center of the storm, AccuWeather reports.  

Meteorologists expect Karl to shift toward the southwest and make landfall close to Veracruz along the south-central coast of Mexico, per AccuWeather. They warn that torrential rain, strong winds, and dangerous surf conditions could impact the region. A tropical storm watch warning is in effect for the cities along the coast of Mexico in the region between Cabo Rojo and Roca Partida, per the NHC advisory. Karl is the 11th named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

AccuWeather meteorologists suspected that excess energy from Hurricane Julia could lead to the formation of Karl. Last week Julia tore through Central America, leaving 28 people dead in Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, per NPR.