photo: US Coast Guard A workboat pulls hard boom across a pass between marsh grass in Lake Barre, La. on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. With inclement weather from the Hurricane Alex threatening to make conditions unsafe for water operations over the next few days, contractors and Coast Guard personnel based at Branch Terrebonne Parish, La., closed off passes with these floating barriers to prevent any oil the BP Deepwater Horizon spill from penetrating deep into the marshes.

All oil spill clean up efforts are on hold for now. BP and the Coast Guard recalled oil skimming boats Tuesday as Hurricane Alex churned up rough seas and foul weather. Conditions make skimming work unsafe and ineffective, and also can mangle oil soaking boom.

Forecasters still say Alex is on path to stay well away from the actual well site. Forecasters say the hurricane will likely come ashore in northern Mexico or southern Texas late tonight or early Thursday.

However, Alex's outer bans are creating high waves even near shore. That's driving more oil toward land. People cleaning up Port Fourchon Beach ahead of the July 4th holiday are working to re-clean some areas.