MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Tropical Storm Karl formed off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast Tuesday and is forecast to meander in the Gulf for a few days without reaching hurricane strength.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Karl had winds of 40 mph (65 kph) Tuesday afternoon. It was centered about 120 miles (195 kms) east-northeast of the port city of Veracruz and moving northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).
Mexico declared a tropical storm warning from Veracruz northward to Cabo Rojo.
The storm’s center is expected to move northward before changing course and turning inland sometime later in the week.
Karl formed one day after former Hurricane Julia dissipated in the Pacific after having directly or indirectly caused the deaths of 28 people in Central America following its landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast.