Tropical storm Karen has developed around the Yucatan peninsula and is making its way into the Gulf of Mexico and will ultimately pose a threat to the United States, according to the Weather Channel.
Karen is the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, earning its letters Thursday after winds up to 65 mph were detected by US Air Force storm reconnisance aircraft.
Coastal communities from Louisiana to Florida have issued huricane watches, as it believe that Karen could strengthen into a category 1 hurricane before making landfall Saturday, according to AccuWeather. The metropolitian area of New Orleans is currently under a tropical storm watch.
It is too early to make accurate predictions of when and where the storm will make landfall, but the storm should make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast by Saturday night.
"As Karen moves north toward the central Gulf Coast, significant uncertainty remains about how strong it will become and how strong it can remain. Strong wind shear is expected to hold affect northern parts of the Gulf of Mexico, and this shear may cause Karen to weaken to some degree as it approaches the U.S. mainland," the Weather Channel said.
Karen could take a similar path to Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive hurricane in US history, although it is not forcast to hit the New Orleans regions as a hurricane, USA Today reported.
"We're not sure exactly where it's going yet, but we're asking residents to be prepared just in case," Brandy Zeiglar, an Escambia County, Florida, public information officer said.
Employes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who were furloughed due to the government shutdown have been called back to work, the White House said.