⁍ BP and Chevron Corp said they were withdrawing staff from U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities.

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⁍ The storm could reach hurricane strength before striking the Yucatan Peninsula at mid-day Monday.

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⁍ If Zeta strikes the U.S. mainland, it would top the record of 10 named storms to make U.S. landfall in one hurricane season.

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– Oil producers were evacuating offshore production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Zeta strengthened overnight and is expected to become a hurricane. BP and Chevron Corp said they were withdrawing staff from US Gulf of Mexico offshore facilities and monitoring Tropical Storm Zeta’s track. The storm could reach hurricane strength before striking the Yucatan Peninsula at mid-day Monday, and approach the northern Gulf Coast on Wednesday at or near hurricane strength, the US National Hurricane Center said. Zeta was about 175 miles south of Cozumel, Mexico, on Monday morning and moving northwest at nine miles per hour. Mexico’s government issued a hurricane warning for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula. “With forecasts indicating the storm will move across the Central and/or Northeastern Gulf of Mexico in the next few days, we are taking steps to respond,” BP said in a statement. It pulled oilworkers off its four production platforms in the Gulf. Chevron said it was withdrawing non-essential staff and its coastal energy plants were monitoring the storm’s track. US Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production accounts for about 17% of total US crude oil production and 5% of total US dry natural gas production. If Zeta strikes the US mainland, it would top the record for 10 named storms to make US landfall in one hurricane season that was set only weeks ago by Hurricane Delta.