ATLANTA (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Alex, the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Saturday near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and could be headed for the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said.
Alex had sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour) and was located about 200 miles (320 km) east of Belize City, Belize.
It was moving west-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph) on a path that was expected to take it towards Belize and over the Yucatan Peninsula during the weekend and then into the Gulf of Mexico, where BP officials are battling to contain a massive oil spill.
It was too early to know whether Alex could threaten oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, or whether it could affect clean-up operations from the oil spill and possibly force a temporary shutdown.
Alex was expected to strengthen over water before the centre hits the Yucatan Saturday night or Sunday morning. Its tropical storm force winds extend up to 105 miles (165 km) east of the centre. The islands of Honduras are expected to see tropical storm force winds by Saturday afternoon.
The hurricane centre said a tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected within the area in the next 36 hours, was in effect for the coast of Belize and the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula from Chetumal to Cancun and the island of Roatan, Guanaja and Utila in Honduras.
A tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected within the area in the next 48 hours, was in effect for the cost of Honduras from Limon westward to the border of Honduras and Guatemala.
Alex was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain through Sunday evening. Some areas might see as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of rainfall, which could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
"There is a low chance ... 10 percent ... of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours," the centre said.
Swirling masses of thunderstorms become named tropical storms when their sustained winds reach 39 mph (63 kph).
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 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.
(Reporting by Matthew Bigg, editing by Alan Elsner)
