Tropical Storm Karl dumped heavy rains on the Yucatan Peninsula today as it moved toward the Gulf of Mexico, where it is expected to pick up steam and become a hurricane threatening Mexico’s central coast by the weekend.

A strong Tropical Storm Karl made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula today, hitting a sparsely populated stretch of Caribbean coast, while two Category 4 hurricanes roared further out in the Atlantic.

A strengthening Tropical Storm Karl is nearing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula today, bearing down on the resort beaches of the Mayan Riviera.

Hurricane Ivan has spun off deadly tornadoes, swamped streets in storm-weary Florida and battered the Alabama coast, drenching other south-eastern states with heavy rains and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands.