Hurricane Alex
Alex, the season's first hurricane, may wring out a foot of rain.
Alex, which late last night became the first Atlantic hurricane of 2010, is forecast to make landfall just south of the Texas-Mexico border, perhaps as a Category 2.
As of the last update from the National Hurricane Center, Alex had maximum sustained winds of 81 m.p.h.; the hurricane threshold is 74 m.p.h.
When it makes landfall, perhaps late tonight, it is expected to be packing winds of 98 m.p.h., just meeting the requirements for at Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Once it leaves the Gulf of Mexico, it is forecast to end its career in north-central Mexico, but not before generating perhaps up to a foot of rain.
Those of us who were around here during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 know well what a foot of rain can do, and it would be even more hazardous in mountainous regions, given the threat of mudslides.
On the positive side, the projected path takes Alex safely away from the BP oil muck.