HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — Tropical Storm Gordon's passing helped clear out some Bay area beaches that have been hit hard by red tide, but the relief may only be temporary.
- Offshore winds keeping effects away from coast
- Effect may continue for next several days
- Gordon did not take needed path to break up red tide bloom
The offshore winds have created cleaner beaches and much clearer water, but experts say just because it looks and feels like red tide is gone, it doesn't mean it is.
"Those offshore winds are kind of keeping the effects away from the coast right now," said Dr. Vincent Lovko, scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory.
Lovko predicts the offshore winds will continue for the next several days, which will keep the beaches clear. But Gordon's position in the gulf also has a downfall.
"On the negative side, it's not going right over the area where the bloom is, so it's not really churning up the water," he said.
The mid-week report from Florida Fish and Wildlife shows that background concentrations of the organism that causes red tide are lower in many areas, but that can't for sure be attributed to the storm's path.
Gordon, Lovko says, didn't take the needed path or have enough strength to break up the bloom.
"The more you can mix the water up and dilute that bloom water with water that does not have red tide cells in it, the better chance there is of dispersing and diluting the bloom," he said.