News - National
Weather a worry for drilling effort
Posted: Aug 10, 2010 9:56 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Aug 10, 2010 9:57 AM
As crews try to finish up the work that they hope will seal a blown-out oil well for good, they're keeping an eye on the weather in the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters say a cluster of thunderstorms in the eastern Gulf could pass near the oil spill site. The weather system could blow into a tropical storm, but forecasters don't think it'll turn into a hurricane, and BP hasn't made plans to suspend drilling. Engineers are drilling the final 100 feet of a relief well.
If the weather cooperates, the new well could intersect with the broken one as soon as Friday. Finishing the new well and sealing the broken one with mud and cement should mark the end of the oil spill.
For now, success depends on John Wright, chosen by BP to guide a drill more than two miles beneath the sea floor, trying to hit a target less than half the size of a dartboard. No pressure.
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