Tropical Storm Alex strengthened into a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, according to media reports.

Palm trees move in the wind as a man walks on the shore in Chetumal June 26, 2010. Tropical Storm Alex was close to making landfall in nearby Belize on Saturday as it dumped rain on Guatemala and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. [Xinhua]

Alex upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving slowly towards northern Mexico where it was expected to make landfall on Wednesday.

Alex is the first June hurricane on the Atlantic side of the United States since 1995.

The hurricane center reported Alex had maximum sustained winds at 75 mph (120 kph) late Tuesday.

The storm was moving north of Mexican oil rigs and far southwest of U.S. fields, which eased crude market concerns over a supply disruption.