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Page added on October 4, 2013
Tropical Storm Karen Heads toward U.S. Gulf Coast
The first cyclone to threaten the U.S. coast this year moved across the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and was forecast to sweep through offshore oil installations before hitting the mainland between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Some energy companies in the Gulf started shutting down production and evacuating workers from offshore platforms as Tropical Storm Karen approached a region that produces nearly a fifth of daily U.S. oil output.
Three days after much of the U.S. government was closed down over a budget standoff, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began recalling furloughed workers to help prepare for the storm.
Karen, the first storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season to take aim at the United States, had top winds of 65 mph (105 kph) and was centered about 340 miles (545 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
It was moving north-northwest and was expected to strengthen to just below hurricane strength by late Friday, the Miami-based hurricane center said.
Coastal residents could start feeling its bluster by Friday night. On its current track the storm’s center was expected to cross the coastline near the Mississippi-Alabama border by late on Saturday.
A hurricane watch was issued for the coast from Grand Isle, Louisiana, south of New Orleans, to Destin, Florida, alerting residents to expect hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
A tropical storm watch was in effect in Louisiana from west of Grand Isle to east of Morgan City. The watch area included metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain. Tropical storms carry winds of 39 mph to 73 mph (63 kph to 118 kph).
Heavy rains were forecast all along the Gulf Coast into northern Florida, the forecasters said.
The National Hurricane Center forecasters were exempt from the U.S. government shutdown because their work is vital to protecting life and property. Their parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, advised that some weather satellite images available to the public on its website “may not be up to date” because of the shutdown.
3 Comments on "Tropical Storm Karen Heads toward U.S. Gulf Coast"
bobinget on Fri, 4th Oct 2013 2:03 pm
Forget about oil prices, there are loads of other forces working to keep crude over $100. Gasoline and diesel being formulated all along the low lying Gulf coast is
of concern.
When refineries flood it often takes weeks to get them back on line depending on electrical motor and control damage.
As sea levels rise, refineries (and people) will need to move to higher ground. This is a difficult move for oil companies for two major reasons. Finding a new site and growing a conscience.
If your in the region or interested there are tidal charts.
BillT on Fri, 4th Oct 2013 2:34 pm
We can cripple NOAA and the weather people but we cannot cut back the NSA spying or the paychecks of Congress and the President. They can be glad this is not a Category 5, but then, it IS early in the season.
GregT on Fri, 4th Oct 2013 4:50 pm
Complex, just in time delivery systems, are extremely vulnerable to systemic failure. Relying on these systems for our day to day lives to continue normally forever is foolish. Everyone should be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Two weeks of stored food and water for every person in your household should be the bare minimum. Every person should also be prepared to live for the same amount of time without electricity. Our policy makers, and ‘leaders’ have been warning people for decades. Very few people are listening.