Gulf Low Keeps Oil Onshore

Satellite Imagery, Gulf Low, Image: NOAA

Earlier today, an area of low pressure off the coast of Louisiana was looking fairly impressive. What I mean by that is thunderstorm tops were showing up on visible satellite imagery, and there was a lot of thunderstorm activity starting to fire up around the center of circulation.

In fact, hurricane specialists gave it a 60% chance of development into a tropical system earlier today. It has since moved closer to shore and it will not develop.

It is, however, increasing the wind and wave action off the coast of Louisiana, and more oil is being pushed onshore.

Wave heights are at about 3-4′. The east-southeasterly winds driving oil onshore would have subsided by tomorrow if it weren’t for another tropical disturbance in the northwestern Caribbean Sea.

I’ll have another update on that system tomorrow.

-Dawn Brown