Hurricane Alex makes landfall near US-Mexican border

Jul 1, 2010, 3:33 GMT

Washington - Hurricane Alex came ashore late Wednesday, lashing north-eastern Mexico and southern Texas with harsh winds and heavy rain.

The season's first hurricane was a category 2 storm with sustained winds of 155 kilometres an hour when it reached land south of the Rio Grande river that marks the border between the US and Mexico. It made landfall some 65 kilometres north-north-east of La Pesca, Mexico and 180 kilometres south of Brownsville, Texas, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

Tornadoes had been reported in some parts of Texas, and the storm could dump up to 30 centimetres of rain over north-eastern Mexico and southern Texas.

The hurricane season is expected to be worse than normal this year, provoking special concern along the Louisiana-to-Florida coast that is fighting a 10-week-old BP oil gusher.

Even though Alex is not expected to directly hit the oil spill region, BP plc's burning and skimming operations have already been suspended due to rough seas. Siphoning and relief-well drilling however have not been stopped.

It is the first time since 1995 that the first Atlantic hurricane rolled through so early, in June.

The coastal storm surge was expected to lift water levels by 1 to 2 metres and penetrate several kilometres inland, the US hurricane centre said.