AccuWeather.com

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

May 31, 2010; 8:05 AM ET

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While the oil leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is bad enough, many people have been wondering what could happen if a hurricane were to pass over the oily waters.

While an area of disturbed weather over the western Caribbean Monday morning is not expected to become the season's first Atlantic hurricane, the season officially begins June 1st.

AccuWeather.com hurricane expert Joe Bastardi is concerned about multiple threats from storms throughout the season in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Seaboard.

With 16 to 18 tropical storms and/or hurricanes expected, a significant number of these are bound to make their way into the Gulf of Mexico. Bastardi expects a little more than 1 out of 3 tropical storms and/or hurricanes to impact U.S. coastal waters this season.

The hurricane seasons of 1998, 2005 and 2008 had similarities to the expected pattern this season.

Some locations could be hit by more than one storm.

In this scenario, much of the central and western Gulf of Mexico could be one of several targets for potential multiple tropical storm and/or hurricane landfalls this year.

Since attempts to stop the gushing oil in the northern Gulf have failed and a permanent solution via drilling an alternated well is not expected to be completed until August, containment operations may have some rough times ahead.

Depending on the approach of a tropical storm or hurricane, increasing winds and building, massive seas would first halt containment operations.

Rough seas would dislodge or destroy protective booms, rendering them useless as the storm draws closer.

Brown whitecaps in the Gulf of Mexico, Sunday, May 9, 2010. AP Photo / Gerald Herbert.

Next, as the storm rolls through, high winds on the right flank of a hurricane making landfall would cause some oil to become airborne in blowing spray.

A storm surge could carry contaminants inland beyond bays, marshes and beaches to locations well inland.

Even a glancing blow from a hurricane passing to the west of the oil slick could be enough for winds and wave action to drive the goo nearby onshore, or to more distant fishing and recreation areas, perhaps in foreign waters.

During the age of sail, hurricane winds occasionally blew ships hundreds of miles off course. The wind could have the same effect on the oil slick.

Now, imagine several storms during the season doing the same thing.

There has been some speculation on the impact an oil slick might have on hurricane intensity, perhaps to the point of limiting the storm's heat- and moisture-grabbing properties. However, high winds from the storm would probably mix the surface of the water and oil to the point, where it would not significantly have an impact.

Given the untimely nature of the weather, this could be a nasty summer and autumn dealing with hurricanes in the Gulf, Atlantic and Caribbean, their natural effects and disasters alone, let alone managing the complicating oil slick disaster from the short term weather.

Agatha, Son of Agatha?

Agatha, for all intensive purposes broke up over the mountains of Central America this weekend after bringing life-threatening flooding and mudslides. However, its remnants "could" spin off a new system, perhaps the Atlantic's first tropical depression or storm of the 2010 season in the waters around the Yucatan Peninsula.

From here there is room for the new system to drift northeastward into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and/or the Florida Peninsula.

The first name on the list for the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season is "Alex."

Related to the Story:

South Central Radar

Tropical Weather Center

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