Miami: Tropical Storm Karen, swirling offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, was on track to make landfall late on Saturday in the US state of Louisiana, forecasters said.
While weakening overnight, the storm is still expected to bring rain and some coastal flooding as it moves toward Mississippi and Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At 1800 GMT (2330 IST), Karen was located about 130 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.
Hurricane watches were canceled overnight, but a tropical storm warning was in effect for an area that included Morgan City, located about 70 miles west of New Orleans.
Battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was under a tropical storm watch.
"On the forecast track, the center of Karen will move near or over portions of southeastern Louisiana tonight and early Sunday and pass near the coast of Mississippi and Alabama Sunday and Sunday night," the Miami-based NHC said.
The storm - expected to weaken to a tropical depression Sunday - is forecast to drop between one to three inches over the central Gulf coast and southeastern US region through late Monday.
"Isolated storm total amounts of six inches are possible," the NHC said.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said Saturday that 12 counties were under a local state of emergency and urged residents not to become complacent because the storm was weakening.
"As Tropical Storm Karen continues to disorganize, families should still use today as an opportunity to get ready," he said in a statement.
"Communities along the panhandle are expected to experience heavy rains, and storm surges are predicted for our coastal regions."
Oil prices rose Friday on falling production as companies evacuated staff from sensitive refining and production areas along the Gulf Coast.
The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November, closed at $103.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 53 cents from Thursday's closing level.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama was briefed on disaster preparations and his administration recalled emergency workers who had been told to stay home due to a government shutdown linked to a bitter budget dispute.
While weakening overnight, the storm is still expected to bring rain and some coastal flooding as it moves toward Mississippi and Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center.
At 1800 GMT (2330 IST), Karen was located about 130 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Morgan City, Louisiana, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour.
Battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was under a tropical storm watch.
Advertisement
The storm - expected to weaken to a tropical depression Sunday - is forecast to drop between one to three inches over the central Gulf coast and southeastern US region through late Monday.
Advertisement
Florida Governor Rick Scott said Saturday that 12 counties were under a local state of emergency and urged residents not to become complacent because the storm was weakening.
Advertisement
"Communities along the panhandle are expected to experience heavy rains, and storm surges are predicted for our coastal regions."
Advertisement
The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November, closed at $103.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 53 cents from Thursday's closing level.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Upset Over Melted Candy Bar, US Man Runs Over Grandmother, Shot Dead By Cops Secret Service Head To Testify To US House Panel On Trump Shooting Florida Man Arrested For Making Threats Against Biden World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 2 Passengers Die As Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derails In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report As Hardik Pandya, Wife "Part Ways", Their Relationship Timeline In 5 Points Rs 2,500 Crore Crypto Scam Key Accused Arrested By Himachal Pradesh Police Restrictive Statutory Provisions Don't Prevent Bail: Supreme Court Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.