Hurricane Alex probably won’t become a hurricane until Tuesday. But for now, tropical storm Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 hurricane season, seems to be heading from the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010. A hurricane watch has been issued for the coasts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico. About 116 million gallons of crude have fouled the gulf, as outlined by government estimates.
Oil may be pushed onto shore by Hurricane Alex
A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. If the tropical storm turns into Hurricane Alex, the storm’s center is not expected to approach the area of the oil spill off Louisiana’s coast. But Stacy Stewart, who’s a 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 on a track from the Yucatan peninsula and is also headed for the Texas-Mexico border.
Oil spill containment 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. It was reported by ABC News that when Alex became the first named storm of hurricane season 2010 which started June 1, officials worried what effect it could have on efforts to contain the millions of gallons of crude spewing to the sea and washing up on beaches.
Course could still be changed by Hurricane Alex
While the storm continues, 50 mph winds extend 70 miles from the storm’s center. It is moving north-northwest near 7 mph. It was reported by CNN that National Hurricane Center forecasters have not ruled out an easterly shift in Alex’s path. If Hurricane Alex were to change its present course, the oil spill cap placed over the blown-out well that’s capturing a lot of the crude would have to be removed in the event of a hurricane. Other ships that are drilling two relief wells would also postpone operations. On their present schedule, the relief wells, considered 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 afflicted with coming storms emerged. As Hurricane Alex veers from the oil spill within 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 a lot more to the world is getting more of the oil production, and fears that the developing tropical storm would disrupt oil production eased a bit. As a result, prices for light sweet crude for August delivery fell 75 cents to $78.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Discover a lot more info:
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
