Bangalore (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Lee was inching northward in the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico and its center is expected to approach the coast of southern Louisiana during the weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its report on Friday.
The latest alert from the NHC said the storm was located about 170 miles southeast of Cameron, Louisiana, packing winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km/h).
"Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours," the NHC said.
Nearly half of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude oil production and 33 percent of its natural gas output were shut down on Friday as Tropical Storm Lee formed off the Louisiana Coast, the U.S. government said.
Tropical cyclones become named tropical storms when their winds exceed 39 miles per hour (63 km/h) and develop into hurricanes when their winds reach more than 74 mph (119 km/h).
(Reporting by Soma Das in Bangalore; Editing by Richard Chang)
