US weather forecasters early Friday were keeping a nervous eye on a tropical storm system forming in the Caribbean that could affect the BP Plc oil spill region, DPA reported.
AccuWeather, a private forecaster, said it was monitoring the potential for a tropical system to enter the Gulf of Mexico by late Sunday or early next week.
Depending on its direction, it could affect the boats working to skim, burn and siphon the massive oil leak gushing into the Gulf from a ruptured BP oil well. It could also push more oil onto the coasts of the US states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
On Friday, Pensacola had to close its famous white sand Florida beach as tar balls washed up from the spill.
The storm system early Friday was a collection of thunderstorms and showers near Jamaica and had not yet formed, meaning there was "still quite a bit of uncertainty" about its strength and track, AccuWeather said.
Heavy rain over the weekend starting Friday was expected in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba and Florida.