Tropical Storm Karen churns in the Gulf of Mexico

A soggy weekend is in store for parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Karen churns in the central Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for the area from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to west of Destin, Florida. The center of the storm is forecast to be near the coast within that area Saturday. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River on the Louisiana-Mississippi line. "Karen could be near hurricane strength late Friday and early Saturday," the hurricane center said, although the storm’s tracking map never shows Karen becoming a hurricane.