8 PM Update | Invest 97L Could Develop into Tropical Storm Karen

This afternoon’s Air Force Hurricane Hunter recon flight determined that Invest 97L did not have a closed area of circulation, but did record gale force winds. The area of low pressure is located over the Northwestern Caribbean Sea and has the potential to develop into a tropical storm at any time tonight or tomorrow.  The system is expected to move North-Northwest towards the northeastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula tonight and into the the southern Gulf of Mexico early tomorrow.

The Disney Fantasy is sailing on a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise this week and spent today in Cozumel where the weather conditions have been diminishing throughout the afternoon.  She departed Cozumel just before 7 PM EST en route to Castaway Cay.  The Disney Wonder, sailing her first 7-night Bahamian cruise this fall, could also be impacted by this system as she is spending the next two days at sea returning to Galveston, Texas from Nassau.

System History

This table contains the NHC’s statistics for the tropical cyclone from each advisory.