(100 km/h); early on June 27, Alex made landfall just north of Belize City at this intensity. Upon moving ashore, an area of convection increased over the center, and the convection initially became better defined as it crossed the Yucatán Peninsula. While most tropical cyclones weaken and become disorganized after landfall, Alex seemed to become stronger when viewed on radar and satellite imagery—the National Hurricane Center noted in one of its forecast discussions that the cyclone's structure more closely resembled a hurricane than a deteriorating storm. Still, after enough time over land, convective activity markedly decreased. Operationally, Alex was downgraded to a tropical depression as it approached the peninsula's western coastline; however post-analysis determined that Alex remained a minimal tropical storm. Late on June 27, the storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico with a large overall convective structure but little thunderstorm activity near the center due to the interaction with land. When Alex was still located over the Yucatán Peninsula, the NHC remarked upon the potential for significant strengthening. Because of low wind shear and very warm water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, the possibility existed that Alex could intensify into a major hurricane—a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—before its next landfall. Early on June 28, thunderstorm activity had reformed over the center, but over the following day, the combination of dry air, increasing wind shear and slightly cooler water temperatures prevented significant convection from developing over the center. At the same time, Alex was moving slowly off the northwest coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, and the environment's conditions became more favorable for intensification as the tropical storm tracked away from the coast. The circulation envelope of Alex remained very large, and by June 29, the storm's rainbands covered the entire western half of the Gulf of Mexico; rainfall was reported along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, even while the center was still several hundred miles offshore. The tropical storm continued to strengthen, and based on reports from Hurricane Hunters, it is estimated that Alex attained Category 1 hurricane status at 03:00 UTC on June 30, about 255 miles (415 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Upon becoming a hurricane, Alex was located in a moist, low shear environment, which led to steady intensification on June 30. The pressure continued to fall—a sign of an intensifying cyclone—with a more rapid drop occurring that afternoon and