Karen Fizzles Out Over Gulf

The storm Karen has dissipated in the Gulf of Mexico, easing the threat for coastal regions that had been gearing up for a potentially gusty and drenching tropical storm this weekend, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday.

As of late morning, the storm was about 85 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour. But the storm’s center is no longer well defined, and it is no longer a tropical cyclone, the hurricane center said.

Karen’s remnants are expected to produce 1 to 3 inches of rainfall over parts of the central Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S. through Monday evening, the center said.

The storm “was the victim of a more than two-day pounding from dry air and wind shear, and it just took it apart,” hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. “Which is good news.”

Karen peaked as a tropical storm on Thursday, with winds of 65 miles per hour, he said.