The first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic season, Alex's winds of 85 mph bent over palm trees near the port city of Matamoros across from Brownsville, Texas, while its rains swamped beaches. Soaked Mexican marines in towns in Tamaulipas state ushered residents and fisherman into shelters as 10-foot (3-meter)-high waves slammed into the shore.

"We're getting out of here, this looks really ugly," said a 50-year-old housewife who gave her name as Juana as she packed belongings into a truck in the beach town of Playa Bagdad. Alex looked set to grow into a robust Category 2 storm as it slams into Tamaulipas later on Wednesday then weaken back to a storm on Thursday, but its rains had already flooded highways as far inland as the industrial city of Monterrey. [ YAHOO NEWS ]