This browser does not support the Video element.
Tropical weather forecast: Oct. 12, 2022
Meteorologist Jim Weber says Tropical Storm Karl is moving very slowly and is expected to drift north where it will encounter wind shear. It will turn it around and push it back south, based on the current forecast.
MEXICO - Tropical Storm Karl formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and is expected to meander off the coast of Mexico over the next several days, producing heavy rainfall and gusty winds.
As of Wednesday morning, Karl has top winds of 40 mph and is moving north-northwest at 6 mph. On average, the 11th storm of the season forms on October 2.
The tropical cyclone is not expected to threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast because the current weather pattern will prevent it from moving north. Instead, the system will likely slowly churn over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and Bay of Campeche through the end of the week.
Some strengthening is possible as Karl meanders over the warm waters of the region. Currently, most of the convection associated with the storm is removed from the center of Karl where tropical-storm-force winds extend out 105 miles.
LINK: Track the tropics at MyFOXHurricane.come
The slow northwest motion is expected to continue for another day or so before a building ridge of high pressure to the north of Karl nudges the storm back south and southwest towards the coast of Mexico where heavy rain could cause flash flooding and mudslides.
The Atlantic hurricane season has just under two months remaining, so it's not unusual for the tropics to remain active in October. The month ranks as the third-most active (behind September and August) for tropical activity in the Atlantic Basin, typically producing about two named storms each year, one of which becomes a hurricane.
FOX Weather contributed to this report