Friday, June 4, 2010

Gulf hurricane season begins with oil spill top kill failure

The 2010 hurricane season officially began as the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010 reached its 42 day. Crude gushes unabated into the sea on the BP oil spill live feed as forecasters predict an unusually severe 2010 hurricane season. The oil spill top kill, BP’s best hope so far of capping the leak, failed over Memorial Day weekend. To stem the flow, yet not stop the leak, BP will next try to sever the broken pipe from the wellhead, put a cap on it with a hose to the surface and make an effort to collect the oil. Relief wells being drilled to stop the leak at its source are at least two months from completion. The gulf, where the first hurricanes of the 2010 season are expected, has been polluted with up to 100 million gallons of oil to date.

Article Source: Hurricane season 2010 starts in gulf as oil spill top kill fails By Personal Money Store

Forecast – 2010 hurricane season

Meteorologists have designated June 1 as the official start of hurricane season 2010, which lasts until Nov. 30. Historically, in contrast to quick cash same day, big-name hurricanes form thousands of miles away within the Atlantic Ocean, are tracked for days by meteorologists and relentlessly hyped by the media before making landfall within the U.S.. But AOL reports that in 2010 the first hurricanes could materialize along the Southeast cost or northeastern Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico is even more likely. Sea temperatures within the Atlantic aren’t expected to brew storms early in hurricane season. Early season storms will have short warning because forming closer to land won't allow for days of anticipation.

Leak foils oil spill top kill

The first storm of Hurricane season 2010 could strike easily and will likely disrupt the response to the BP oil leak. A hurricane could not only push more oil ashore but also cause weeks of delays in efforts to contain the spill. The New York Times reports that after the oil spill top kill failure, BP will make an effort to shear off the collapsed pipe leading from the wellhead, place a cap over the opening and funnel leaking oil through a hose to the surface. The New York Times reports that BP's next option following the oil spill top kill bust is to cut off the broken pipe from the wellhead, put a containment dome over the opening and siphon oil to the surface. Until a cap is in place the BP oil spill live feed will show an increasing flow of crude following the cutting operation. What’s more, when a hurricane heads for the gulf, crews will disconnect the hose and run for cover, leaving the BP oil leak to gush unabated.

Toxic storm surge forecasted

Storm surges carrying oil sludge and oil dispersant, which is toxic, could make parts of the gulf coast uninhabitable throughout hurricane season 2010. To predict where the oil slick could possibly be driven by gulf hurricanes, the Gerson Lehman Group analyzed tracking data from recent storms. The counter-clockwise spin of a hurricane comparable to Gustav in 2008 would drive its storm surge of toxic chemicals west to Texas. The 2009 hurricane Ida went into the east-central gulf, pushing a storm surge to the west coast of Florida. Areas miles from the coast could possibly be coated in an aerosol of oil and toxic dispersants carried by hurricane-force winds.

Hurricane season 2010 details

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association hurricane season 2010 forecast predicts as many as 23 named storms, with three to seven major hurricanes. When winds surpass 39 mph, a storm gets a name. Possibly 14 of those storms could produce winds passing 74 mph to be classified as hurricanes. Three to seven could possibly be Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes with winds of at least 111 mph. The strongest tropical system recorded in June was Hurricane Audrey, which made landfall in southern Louisiana on June 27, 1957, as a Category 4 storm, with a sustained wind of 145 mph.

Citations

AOL News

New York Times

Gerson Lehman Group



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