Tropical Storm Karl crawls across Gulf of Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Tropical Storm Karl crawled slowly across the Bay of Campeche towards Mexico’s Atlantic coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday, triggering warnings in southwestern parts of the country.

At 7 p.m. (0000 GMT), Karl was 110 miles (180 km) east-northeast of Veracruz, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour), the Miami-based forecaster said.

The NHC expects Karl to approach the Mexican coast by Thursday, when it should begin to weaken.

Heavy rains on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and southern parts of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range could cause landslides and flash floods, it said.

Swells generated across the coastline could cause life-threatening surf and rip tide conditions, it said.

Mexico’s government has called on local authorities and residents to take protective measures as soil in these areas is already saturated from the rainy season.

(Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Leslie Adler and Tom Hogue)