Cleanup of the worst Texas oil tanker accident in two decades could behampered by a storm heading along the Gulf Coast Friday into the weekend.Approximately 462,000 gallons of crude oil leaked into the Sabine-NechesWaterway near Port Arthur, Texas, last Saturday, according to a report by TheAssociated Press.
Mostly clear skies dominated Port Arthur area early this week with highs in thelow 60s. Some clouds filtered in Wednesday, but the region remained dry.
However, an approaching storm is likely to bring some rain into the region latetoday into Friday. Temperatures will drop into the 40s by Friday as well.
The Eagle Otome, an 800-foot tanker, ran into a towing ship pushing two barges.
Cleanup efforts have been underway since the accident, including a net-likefence encompassing the spill area.
"Because of where it happened, we were able to get teams out there quickly toat least contain it for now," Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Bryant of the CoastGuard told the AP. "But it's still a tremendously large spill."As of Tuesday, roughly 252,000 gallons of the spill had been cleared away.
Nearby wildlife areas, including Keith Lake and the Murphree WildlifeManagement Area, have not been affected.
In 1990, Norwegian tanker Mega Borg dumped 4.3 million gallons of crude oilinto the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Galveston, the worst oil spill inTexas over the last 20 years.
Story by AccuWeather.com's Jon Auciello
