For much of this week, Hurricane Igor has had most of the limelight along with a little from Hurricane Julia. However, within the past 36 hours or so, Hurricane Karl has become the biggest threat in the Atlantic. Making landfall along the Mexican East Coast north of Veracruz, Karl had become a powerful storm after it went through a rapid intensification in the very conducive environment of the Bay of Campeche region of the Gulf of Mexico.

Although it had weakened significantly over the Yucatan Peninsula after making its first landfall near Chetumal in the Mayan Riviera on Wednesday, Karl’s circulation remained intact, and once it returned to the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the storm revved up dramatically. Within a span of a little more than 36 hours, Karl went from a minimal tropical storm with 40 mile per hour winds to a major hurricane with winds in excess of 115 miles per hour at landfall. Towards the very end of that period, the fifth major hurricane of 2010 had strengthened to a Category Three Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale with winds of 120 miles per hour, and a minimum central pressure of 956 millibars, or 28.23 inches of Hg.

Currently, Karl is ashore some 10 miles north of Veracruz, Mexico. The storm is moving to the West-Southwest at 8 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are at 115 miles per hour with gusts in excess of 145 miles per hour. The eye of the storm is measured to be about 10 miles wide in diameter. Hurricane force winds extend some 25 miles while tropical storm force winds reach out some 90 miles. Prior to landfall, winds were already gusting to 55 miles per hour offshore according to data from an automated station near Laguna Verde in Mexico. There are several watches and warnings in effect at this time.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the East Coast of Mexico from Veracruz to Cabo Rojo. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from Cabo Rojo to La Cruz. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect north of Cabo Rojo to La Cruz and from south of Veracruz to Punta El Lagarto. Now that the storm is inland, it should gradually weaken over the rigorous mountain terrain of inner Mexico. However, even though the winds are dying down, this storm will still be heard from in the coming days. With the orographic lifting of the tropical moisture from this storm, expect torrential rains to produce flooding and mudslides. General rainfall amounts are expected to range between 5 to 10 inches with isolated amounts up to 15 inches.