A tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Karen early Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean, where it posed to immediate threat to land. At 1500 GMT, Karen was about 2,440 kilometers east of the eastern Caribbean islands, with top sustained winds near 64 kilometers per hour (kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The storm was moving toward the west-northwest at about 24 kph and was expected to continue in that direction over the next 24 hours, with some strengthening possible. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 72 kilometers from Karen's center, the NHC said. On its current course, Karen was expected to hit two low-pressure areas, and meteorologists were unsure how they would affect the storm. Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Jerry broke up over cooler water farther north in the Atlantic late Monday. Meteorologists expected the remnants of the storm, which formed Sunday, to be absorbed by a larger low-pressure system on Tuesday.
