As I'm sure you are aware by now, the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico has fortunately stayed away from our beaches in the Florida Panhandle and, also, largely avoided coastal Alabama and Mississippi since its start. Earlier this week, though, that began to change as a southerly wind developed. This started to push the oil slick in the direction of MS and AL; some of the oil has since been reported on beaches in those states. Meantime, up until this point Florida has escaped unscathed but I'm afraid that won't last much longer.
As of the latest release of the NOAA oil slick trajectory maps, the northeast extent of the oil slick was less than 10 miles away from the western Panhandle. Over the next few days, the wind will turn in from the southwest, helping to send the oily sheen to the northeast -- toward Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola (where our Kyle Jordan will be live from starting on WINK News at 5 PM). This southwesterly flow will likely continue unabated for the next several days; at least through Tuesday morning and perhaps beyond. Yesterday, some of our forecast models were indicating the possibility of a weak late season cold front making it all the way to the Gulf beaches -- today, those same forecast models have this front falling apart in the Carolinas (more likely given the time of year).
I still want to emphasize though that we will not feel any direct impacts from the oil slick here in southwest Florida in the short term. In fact, it could be many months -- if ever -- that the oil slick every directly affects us. Remember, if the oil gets into the Gulf loop current, it passes over 200 miles west of SWFL and our surface water currents are very weak (and, on average, directed toward the west -- away from the coast). So while the oil slick certainly has a trickle down, indirect affect on us; direct affects are not a concern.
Brian
