Alex: Hurricane by tomorrow morning
Alex may become a Category 2, but it's steering clear of the oil
Hurricane watches are up along the Gulf on either side of the Texas-Mexico border, with Alex forecast to become a full-fledged hurricane by tomorrow morning.
By Wednesday morning, it is expected to pack winds up to 98 m.p.h., which would qualify as a Category 2.
Here is the latest projected path from the National Hurricane Center. As with any tropical storm, however, it still isn't certain where Alex will make landfall.
Barring major deviations from the forecast, Alex should pass well west of the core oil-spill area, which no doubt is a welcome development for resdents along the northern Gulf Coast.
But the storm pose a serious flooding hazard to the south. Up to 6 inches of rain could fall on Yucatan and northern Guatemala through tomorrow, with up to 10 inches in mountainous areas.