Storm threat sends cotton futures higher on Wednesday Anadarko has removed nonessential staff from platforms Harvey, which could strengthen into the first hurricane to strike Texas since 2008 this week, forced workers to be evacuated from Gulf of Mexico platforms, sent cotton rallying and has airlines preparing for flight disruptions. Currently a tropical depression, Harvey was 470 miles (756 kilometers) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, with top winds of 35 miles per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. It could develop into a hurricane just before landfall. Harvey in the Gulf of Mexico “It could intensify right up to landfall on Friday,” said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “I expect a Category 1 hurricane at landfall, but I cannot rule out a Category 2.” The Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, is home to nearly […]