AccuWeather says Gustav may threaten U.S. Gulf next week

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Gustav may threaten Gulf of Mexico production areas off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas by the middle of next week, an AccuWeather Inc meteorologist said Tuesday.

By that time the storm may have gained in intensity to be a major hurricane, said senior meteorologist Eric Wilhelm.

"All of the oil platforms off Texas and Louisiana will probably be at risk, but that's real long-range," Wilhelm told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Gustav was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico by Monday, the U.S. Labour Day holiday, possibly as a category 3 hurricane, Wilhelm said.

A category 3 hurricane has winds between 111 and 130 miles per hour.

Wilhelm emphasized there was still time for the forecast path of Gustav to change before it enters the Gulf.

The area of land most at risk of a strike before the hurricane enters the Gulf is the Yucatan peninsula, he said.

The forecast for Gustav's track through the Gulf would become clearer within two to three days, he said.

A turn of the storm over the mountains of central Cuba could weaken it, Wilhelm said.

Gustav is in an environment with little wind shear and would likely travel south of Cuba to pass through the Yucatan strait, he said.

A turn to the north pointing the storm toward Florida was unlikely given a ridge of high pressure over the south-eastern United States, Wilhelm said.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by John Picinich)