&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Karen_Oct_3_2013_1845Z.jpg) Karen near peak intensity in the southern Gulf of Mexico on October 3 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 3, 2013 |
| Post-tropical | October 6, 2013 |
| Dissipated | October 15, 2013 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 65 mph (100 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 998 mbar (hPa); 29.47 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $18,000 (2013 USD) |
| Areas affected | Yucatán Peninsula, Gulf Coast of the United States, Eastern United States |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Tropical Storm Karen was a system that brought record-breaking rainfall and flooding to southeastern Pennsylvania and other Mid-Atlantic states in October 2013. The twelfth tropical cyclone and eleventh named storm of the well below-average 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, Karen originated from a tropical wave that departed from the west coast of Africa on September 16. After passing south of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the storm became a tropical cyclone to the northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. The storm peaked shortly afterward, with 1-minute sustained winds of 65 mph (105 km/h). The storm triggered warnings along the Gulf Coast of the United States, but the storm ultimately degenerated into an open trough in the Gulf of Mexico without making landfall. The remnants of Karen then turned eastward and crossed Florida, before evolving into a nor'easter off the coast of North Carolina, stalling off the Delmarva Peninsula through October 12. The system weakened and drifted back southwestward towards Florida, dissipating off the coast of the state on October 15.
The governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi declared state of emergencies ahead of the storm. Mayors of several towns in Louisiana ordered mandatory evacuations. Oil workers on drilling platforms were evacuated ahead of the storm. The storm caused moderate coastal flooding along the Gulf Coast. The remnants of Karen transitioned into a nor’easter, bringing heaving rain from Florida to New Jersey. Karen's remnants dropped a maximum total of 11.27 inches (286 mm) of rain in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Overall damage was minimal, however, and no deaths were reported.