BELIZE CITY — Alex is now a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico. But it's expected to regain strength in the coming days as it moves over warmer waters and possibly become a hurricane headed toward Mexico's Caribbean coast.

As the storm swirled across Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula overnight, torrential downpours forced hundreds of tourists to flee resort islands. At least four people died in the region.

When Alex became the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, officials immediately worried what effect it could have on efforts to contain the millions of gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf.

For the time being, the storm appears likely to miss the area where BP is trying to stop the oil leak. But the National Hurricane Center in Miami warns that a storm's track can quickly change.

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