Cuba Forecasters: Karl to Strike Mexico

HAVANA TIMES, Sept. 17 — Hurricane Karl with its 195 kph (120 mph) winds is poised to strike Mexico’s Gulf Coast near Veracruz later on Friday.  A Hurricane warning is in effect for a considerable stretch of the coastline of the state of Veracruz.  According to the latest reports from AP the storm could touch land somewhere “between the port city of Veracruz and the oil hub of Poza Rica.”

At 6:00 a.m. EST on Friday, the Cuban Meteorological Institute located the center of the storm at  260 kilometers (160 miles) southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico and moving west at 15 kph (9 mph).   The National Hurricane Center in Miami also pegged Karl at  110 kilometers (70 miles) east-northeast of Veracruz.

Karl is now a Category-3 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale that goes from one to a maximum of five.  The NHC says that Karl could still further strengthen before reaching landfall.