Tropical Storm Karl was closing in on the Gulf Coast of Mexico on Friday morning with 40 mph winds.

The National Hurricane Center expects Karl to make landfall late tonight or early Saturday morning.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast of Mexico from Alvarado to Sabancuy.

As of 7 a.m. CDT Friday, the center of Tropical Storm Karl was located about 90 miles north-northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, and was tracking to the southeast at 6 mph.

Karl had 40 mph winds, making it a minimal tropical storm. Karl peaked earlier this week with 60 mph winds.

The hurricane center said little change in strength is expected before the center of Karl reaches the coast.

Karl could bring 2 to 5 inches of rain, with local amounts up to 10 inches, to parts of Veracruz, Tabasco and northern Chiapas and Oaxaca states in Mexico through Sunday morning.

Tropical storm conditions will begin in the warning area later today or tonight, forecasters said.

ELSEWHERE IN THE ATLANTIC

There was one other area being watched for development by the hurricane center on Friday, but it was far away in the eastern Atlantic.

Forecasters said there was an area of disturbed weather located several hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands.

Some gradual development will be possible over the next few days as it tracks to the west and then the west-northwest at 10 mph.

The disturbance may not hang around long, however, because it will run into more hostile conditions in the central Atlantic early next week.

So far this year there have been six tropical storms and five hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season will end on Nov. 30.