Tropical Storm Katia formed Wednesday morning in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
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At 4 a.m., Katia is moving toward the east-southeast near 2 mph (4 km/h), and the system should gradually turn southeastward during the next 24 hours and continue moving in this general direction through
Thursday.
A turn toward the southwest is forecast on Friday.
On the forecast track, the center of Katia is expected to remain offshore of Mexico through Friday morning.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).
