Karen demoted to tropical depression in Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm Karen atrophied into a tropical depression Saturday night off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said. In its 10 p.m. CDT update, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Karen was stalled about 120 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La., and about 185 miles west-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The hurricane center discontinued its tropical storm warning for the region. The center of the storm was expected to move near or over portions of southeastern Louisiana Saturday night and Sunday, and degenerate into a tropical remnant by Monday. Karen was expected to begin moving to the northeast, then turn to the east-northeast while picking up speed Sunday, the forecasters said. On Monday, the storm is expected to turn to the east, moving just south of the Gulf Coast from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle Sunday night and Monday. Rain fall of 1-3 inches was expected across the region. Rising waters resulting from a combination of storm surge and the tide will flood normally dry areas near the coast, forecasters said.