May 19, 2010: Oil Slick Spreads to Loop Current

May 19, 2010: The federal government reported to today that "small portions" of the BP oil slick have spread tot he Loop Current.  The Loop Current is a warm ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico that flows northward between Cuba and the Yucatán peninsula, moves north into the Gulf of Mexico, loops west and south before exiting to the east through the Florida Straits.  The federal government stated that that spread is in "sheens to very light sheens", seeming to downplay the seriousness of the situation, however; they then warned that "in the time it would take for oil to travel to the vicinity of the Florida Straits, any oil would be highly weathered and both the natural process of evaporation and the application of chemical dispersants would reduce the oil volume significantly."

The NOAA stated that in order for the oil that is trapped in the Loop Current to reach the Florida shoreline, persistent onshore winds or an eddy would be necessary.  By the time the oil would reach the shoreline, the weather would be weathered and diluted and "would likely appear in isolated locations in the form of tar balls."