Phillip Duncan: Another blow for Gulf of Mexico

Just when the Gulf of Mexico oil spill couldn't get any worse mother nature has decided to stir things up - perhaps quite literally. The first tropical depression of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane season officially developed today south of the oil spill and if it grows into a storm then it will be named Alex.

The storm is predicted to enter the Gulf of Mexico - it's currently near Honduras and Grand Cayman and heading north west towards the Gulf, where they often turn in a more northerly direction, taking it anywhere from Texas to Louisiana to Alabama or Florida.

This is the first time a hurricane has posed a threat to an oil spill.

Click here to see what is likely to happen if a hurricane directly hits the oil spill

Forecasters have sent a Hurricane Hunter aircraft down to the storm to fly through it and investigate the storms current make up.

The storm could cause a major environmental disaster, or, it could be a blessing in disguise.

Winds from hurricanes turn anticlockwise - the opposite to storms in the southern hemisphere. So depending on which side of the spill the centre of the storm travels will depend on which way the oil will be pushed.

The storm would, in fact, be better to swing around to the north east and aim for Florida - not something that forecasters would often want to predict, but in this case it could be the saviour. You see, if the storm travels to the east of the slick the winds over the slick will be pushing it out into the central Gulf and away from land.

But if the storm travels to the west of the slick, towards TX or LA then it could blow the slick into the coastlines of Florida, Alabama or Louisiana - devastating beaches.

However, either way, the storm is likely to be a headache for BP. With an extra 4000 + workers now in the Gulf it will mean not only will BP have to evacuate them, but authorities will have to house them - and BP will be forced to delay any progress in plugging the spill for at least a week as evacuations usually start three or so days before a storm even approaches.

And this is only the start of the hurricane season. August is typically the peak of the hurricane season and July can usually see a sharp rise in named storms.
You have to feel for those along the Gulf coastlines at the moment...if it's not oil slicks it's hurricanes. An unpleasant time for them that's for sure.