Until Tuesday, Hurricane Alex probably won't become a hurricane. But for now, tropical storm Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 hurricane season, seems to be heading from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010. South Texas and northeastern Mexico has been given a hurricane warning. On day 69 of the gulf oil spill about 116 million gallons of crude have fouled the gulf, as reported by government estimates.
Source for this article: Hurricane Alex veers away from gulf oil spill but still threatens by Personal Money Store
Oil could be pushed onto shore by Hurricane Alex
A hurricane watch shows that hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. If the tropical storm conforms to forecasts and becomes Hurricane Alex, the storm’s center isn’t really expected to approach the area of the oil spill off Louisiana’s coast. But Stacy Stewart, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, told CNN that Alex’s outer wind field could push oil from the spill farther inland and hinder operations in the area. Its center is coming from the Yucatan peninsula and is headed for the Texas-Mexico border.
Oil spill containment seems to be threatened by Hurricane Alex
Oil spill containment operations and efforts to cap the gushing well would be suspended if Hurricane Alex did end up approaching the northeastern part of the Gulf. ABC News reports that when Alex became the first named storm of hurricane season 2010 which began June 1, officials quickly worried what effect it could have on efforts to contain the millions of gallons of crude spewing into the sea and washing up on beaches.
Hurricane Alex could change course
While the storm continues, 50 mph winds extend 70 miles from the storm's center. It is moving north-northwest near 7 mph. According to CNN, National Hurricane Center forecasters have not ruled out an easterly shift in Alex’s path. If Hurricane Alex were to change its existing course, the oil spill cap placed over the blown-out well that’s capturing some of the crude would have to be taken out within the event of a hurricane. Ships drilling relief wells would have to suspend operations. On their present schedule, the relief wells, which are considered to be the best hope to stop the leak, are projected to be done by August.
Crude oil futures are sensitive to the storm track
As hurricane season 2010 settles in, an indication of how oil prices may be suffering from coming storms emerged. As Hurricane Alex veers from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010, the Wall Street Journal reports that crude oil futures Monday backed off from seven-week highs. Even though the storm could make the affects of the oil spill worse, what matters more to the world is more oil production, and fears that the developing tropical storm would disrupt oil production eased. As a result, prices for light sweet crude for August delivery fell to $78.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Discover more about this topic here:
CNN
cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/06/28/tropical.storm.alex/index.html?npt=NP1
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=11033517&page=1
Wall Street Journal
online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100628-706482.html
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