Hurricane Alex, the first hurricane of the 2010 season, has come and gone, hitting at night on June 30th and dissipating over Mexico. The maximum sustained winds for Hurricane Alex were 100 mph, making it a Category Two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It was moving west at 10 mph, a movement that was expected to continue for the next day or so. The minimum central pressure was 947 millibars or 27.96 inches. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 35 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 205 miles.
Unfortunately six-foot waves from Alex have damaged a new, $4.6 million system meant to prevent oil from flowing into Perdido Bay.
The structure is composed of more than 3,000 feet of steel piping that is strung together in Perdido Pass between dozens of pilings in Orange Beach to guard against the oil spill. Though they said Thursday that about 800 feet of the protective system began coming apart when thick bolts started shearing off in heavy seas. Workers took apart other sections to prevent further damage to the system, which wasn't yet finished. It was said the steel booms should be back in place with thicker bolts by Saturday. He said not much additional oil entered the bay because of the failure.
Flooding and overflowing of rivers killed two men in Mexico on Thursday, July 01, before Alex finally made it's leave over Mexico's borders.
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