Dive Brief:

• Tropical storm Karen is approaching the Gulf Coast, causing a hurricane watch to be issued for cities such as Biloxi, Miss. and Mobile, Ala. 
• Karen could become a hurricane over the next day or two, but is unlikely to pose a serious threat to the Gulf Coast.  
• Karen is expected to hit the region as soon as late Friday. 

Here's an image of the forecast:

Dive Insight: 

Hurricane season has been abnormally quiet this year, but the big question on everyone's mind is: are utilities ready for it if and when it comes? Karen may turn out to be nothing major, but storms are unpredictable and utilities should always prepare for the worst. Everyone still remembers Superstorm Sandy, which completely devastated the East Coast a year ago and created political pressure for utilities to harden the grid. The next big storm will test just how far utilities have come. 

Check out our recent Hangout on #hurricane prep in case #Karen tracks toward us http://t.co/OE7bes9Thu #GoAwayKaren

— Entergy (@Entergy) October 3, 2013

#FEMA Director Craig Fugate says because of Gulf storm threat, there is now a "limited recall" of furloughed life-saving workers. @NBCNews

— Mark Potter (@MarkPotterNBC) October 3, 2013