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Storm Alex nears Belize, Yucatan Peninsula
Source: Agencies |
June 27, 2010, Sunday
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TROPICAL Storm Alex was close to making landfall in Belize yesterday as it dumped rain on Guatemala and the Yucatan peninsula, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was not an imminent threat to oil-siphoning efforts at BP Plc's blown-out Macondo well in the Gulf, the US Coast Guard said.
Current forecasts project Alex will emerge in the southern Gulf of Mexico today and make landfall again as a minimal hurricane later in the week between Brownsville, Texas, and Tuxpan de Rodriguez Cano, Mexico, sparing BP spill collection efforts.
Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, carried sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 km per hour) and was located about 15 miles (25 km) southeast of Belize City, Belize.
"Alex will move inland over Belize and the Yucatan peninsula this evening," the Miami-based center said at 8 p.m. EDT/0000 GMT.
Quintana Roo state authorities evacuated 200 people from fishing villages across the Chinchorro reef, near Belize, and Xcalak, famous for its diving spots.
Some rain fell over Cancun, a major seaside resort that draws US and European visitors, but there was no threat to some 35,000 tourists in the area, civil protection said.
The cloudy skies and stronger winds that swayed the palm trees did not stop tourists strolling through the streets of Cancun.
Earlier yesterday, three cruise ships en route to the island of Cozumel, across from Playa del Carmen, another popular resort south of Cancun, changed course to avoid strong surf.
Alex was moving toward the west at 12 mph (19 kph) but its speed should decrease while it moves over the peninsula. However, "some strengthening is forecast as Alex moves over the Gulf of Mexico by tomorrow," the National Hurricane Center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cancun. Honduras discontinued a similar warning for the islands of Roatan, Guanaja and Utila.
Alex was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain through this evening.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and meteorologists predict this year will be a very active one. Hurricanes feed on warm water and the sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are higher than usual this year.
In the Pacific, Darby moved farther from Mexican coast and was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, 310 miles (500 km) south-southwest of the Mexican beach resort of Zihuatanejo.
Farther out Category 1 hurricane Celia moved over cooler waters and was expected to become a remnant storm tomorrow.
The storm was not an imminent threat to oil-siphoning efforts at BP Plc's blown-out Macondo well in the Gulf, the US Coast Guard said.
Current forecasts project Alex will emerge in the southern Gulf of Mexico today and make landfall again as a minimal hurricane later in the week between Brownsville, Texas, and Tuxpan de Rodriguez Cano, Mexico, sparing BP spill collection efforts.
Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, carried sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 km per hour) and was located about 15 miles (25 km) southeast of Belize City, Belize.
"Alex will move inland over Belize and the Yucatan peninsula this evening," the Miami-based center said at 8 p.m. EDT/0000 GMT.
Quintana Roo state authorities evacuated 200 people from fishing villages across the Chinchorro reef, near Belize, and Xcalak, famous for its diving spots.
Some rain fell over Cancun, a major seaside resort that draws US and European visitors, but there was no threat to some 35,000 tourists in the area, civil protection said.
The cloudy skies and stronger winds that swayed the palm trees did not stop tourists strolling through the streets of Cancun.
Earlier yesterday, three cruise ships en route to the island of Cozumel, across from Playa del Carmen, another popular resort south of Cancun, changed course to avoid strong surf.
Alex was moving toward the west at 12 mph (19 kph) but its speed should decrease while it moves over the peninsula. However, "some strengthening is forecast as Alex moves over the Gulf of Mexico by tomorrow," the National Hurricane Center said.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Cancun. Honduras discontinued a similar warning for the islands of Roatan, Guanaja and Utila.
Alex was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain through this evening.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and meteorologists predict this year will be a very active one. Hurricanes feed on warm water and the sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are higher than usual this year.
In the Pacific, Darby moved farther from Mexican coast and was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, 310 miles (500 km) south-southwest of the Mexican beach resort of Zihuatanejo.
Farther out Category 1 hurricane Celia moved over cooler waters and was expected to become a remnant storm tomorrow.
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