Position: 26.3N 66.6W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [340°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph [95 kph].
Wind Gusts: 70 mph [110 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 105 miles [165 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb ↓.

It is about 430 miles [ 690 km] South-Southwest of Bermuda.

Colin has regenerated.

Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

The Miami Herald notes that the Science world skeptical at oil spill’s disappearing act

WASHINGTON — Many scientists say they’re skeptical of a widely publicized government report Wednesday that concludes much of the oil that gushed from BP’s leaking well is gone and poses little threat to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the “vast majority” of the 4.9 million barrels released into the Gulf has either evaporated “or been burned, skimmed, and recovered from the wellhead, or dispersed.”

“I’m suspect if that’s accurate or not,” said Ronald Kendall, the director of the Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University and one of the scientists who testified Wednesday at a congressional hearing about the need for more research into the composition and use of chemical dispersants to break up the oil in the Gulf.

“It’s an estimate and I’d like to say that even if it’s true, there are still 50 to 60 million gallons that are still out there,” he said. “It’s too early to draw the conclusion that the coast is clear, but there are species there that will tell us.”
…

Scientists also questioned the report’s methodology.

“There is a lot of uncertainty in these figures,” said James H. Cowan, Jr., a professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University,

For example, the report doesn’t explain how its authors decided what was naturally dispersed oil and what was chemically dispersed oil. They gave no details of how they estimated the evaporation rate of oil — something that’s difficult to do over large areas of seawater because of the effects of weather and other factors, Cowan said.

It took them over 100 days to come to a decision on the flow rate, but they can make reasoned judgments on what happened to the oil in a week? What is the basis for their figures, because they haven’t been sampling, and those who have been sampling have only produced preliminary figures?

This whole thing smells more like marketing and politics than science. They had to be embarrassed into starting their pathetic efforts at research, and they denied the existence of the underwater plumes until the facts were overwhelming. They have put more effort into protecting BP than the people, despite a few harsh statements for the masses.

McClatchy reports that BP will try to cement Deepwater Horzion well today

BP reported earlier Wednesday that a “static kill” had succeeded in forcing what oil remained in the Deepwater Horizon’s well bore back into rock formations 13,000 feet below the sea floor and that oil was no longer flowing into the well. If that’s true, then the cementing Allen authorized on Wednesday should seal the well — weeks before the relief well will be in a position to try to do the same thing.
…

Wells said the “static kill” had gone as smoothly as engineers could have hoped. The procedure, which began at about 4 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, lasted eight hours and required, Wells said, 2,300 barrels — 96,600 gallons — of drilling mud. At a weight of 13.2 pounds per gallon, the mud weighed nearly 1.3 million pounds or more than 637 tons.
…

He said there was no evidence that the mud had gone anywhere but straight down the drill pipe — suggesting that oil was not flowing in the well’s annulus, the empty space between the outside of the pipe and the rock wall of the bore. Allen has said sealing the annulus is the primary reason for completing the relief well.

Well, OK, except, the numbers don’t say what Wells wants people to believe they say.

After the fold some Solid Geometry will take place, so it’s not safe for multinational marketing or government spokesweasels.

[Read more →]

From Weather Underground

Cinco Bayou – Pocahontas Dr., Fort Walton Beach, Florida (PWS)
Updated: 12:00 PM CDT on August 05, 2010
Partly Cloudy
90.9 °F [32.7 °C]
Humidity: 71%
Dew Point: 80 °F
Wind: 1.0 mph from the NNW
Wind Gust: 4.0 mph
Pressure: 29.92 in (Falling)
Heat Index: 109 °F [42.8 °C]
Visibility: 10.0 miles
UV: 10 out of 16
Pollen: 4.10 out of 12
Clouds:
Few 9000 ft
Few 15000 ft
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 16 ft

Heat advisory in effect from noon today to 6 PM CDT this evening…