Air force planes found flight-level winds of 81 mph this morning, and some large thunderstorms have developed again near the center. With warm ocean water and light wind shear over the storm, it will likely become a hurricane today.
The good news is that the heat ridge over the SE is actually stronger than anticipated yesterday, so Alex may come in farther south, maybe even in Mexico. However, the flow around the system is large as pressures fall over a wide area, and 20 knot winds and large waves are out as far as the oil well site.
The large ships drilling the relief wells and the big oil removal should be fine, but some ships will have to wait, and the small surge may push more oil into Louisiana. However, the waves over the Gulf may actually help break up the oil somewhat.
