Will Oil from Rig Disaster Wash Ashore on Gulf Coast?

After an explosion on board an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the focus continues to be on 11 missing workers. But Accuweather forecasters are also looking ahead at what’s next — and don’t like what they see:

The U.S. Coast Guard reported the oil rig that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday has sunk, and oil leaking from the rig could begin heading towards the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines in the next day.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists predict the ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico will switch to a southerly direction in the next 24 to 36 hours, which will push oil on the surface of the ocean towards the southeastern U.S. coastline. […]

Surface oil washing upon beaches in Louisiana and Mississippi could be devastating for life along the coast.

The Associated Press reports that according to the Coast Guard, the well could be spilling up to 8,000 barrels of crude oil a day & the rig carried 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Let’s hope the forecasts prove wrong & disaster is averted.

For the latest on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill & how you can help, visit NWF.org/OilSpill.

Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard