Tropical Storm Alex Moves Toward Gulf Of Mexico

MIAMI (AFP)--Tropical Storm Alex, the first of the Atlantic season, moved northwest across the Yucatan Peninsula early Sunday, raising fears it could complicate efforts to clean up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The storm, which has weakened substantially, was likely to miss the spill area if it stayed on its current track, but could generate waves that would impact cleanup efforts, according to the US National Hurricane Center. It also had the potential to cause "life-threatening" floods and landslides in countries in the region, it said. At 0900 GMT, the storm packed sustained winds of 40 miles (65 kilometers) an hour, down from 60 miles (95 kilometers) an hour late Saturday. It was located 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Chetumal, Mexico, the center said. Alex, which dumped heavy rain of the affected area, was forecast to move across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Sunday morning and enter the Gulf of Mexico later in the afternoon. The storm was expected to weaken further and possibly become a tropical depression, but "re-strengthening is forecast Sunday night--and especially on Monday--when Alex will be back over warm water," the NHC said. The storm will dump heavy rain over Yucatan through Sunday, with rainfall of 10-25 centimeters (4.0-8.0 inches), though isolated amounts of up to 38 centimeters (15 inches) are possible over mountainous areas. "These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the NHC warned, noting that "tropical storm winds" were already affecting Belize and the eastern Yucatan Peninsula. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. But a tropical storm watch for the coast of Honduras has been discontinued. In Nicaragua, authorities alerted air and maritime traffic and localities in the north, central and western regions of the country to possible heavy rains and strong winds associated with the storm. The NHC's five-day forecast has the storm heading over the Gulf of Mexico in the direction of the U.S.-Mexico border, but with a possibility of deviating along a broad area that would graze the site of the huge oil slick unleashed by the April 20 explosion of the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig. A forecaster at the NHC however downplayed a direct hit on the oil cleanup area. "The storm is not an issue for the spill," said NHC spokesman Dennis Feltgen. "It may be going to Mexico. We do not see the path of the storm taking (it) into the northeast Gulf -- but that doesn't mean there won't be some wave impact." In Mexico, authorities declared the Yucatan Peninsula in a state of preventive alert "for the potential of intense to torrential rain" as Alex approached. (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 27, 2010 06:09 ET (10:09 GMT)