How Hurricanes Cause Oil, Gasoline and Diesel Price Changes

Gulf Coast refinery disruptions and fuel price volatility are just a sliver of the massive repercussions that can stem from hurricanes. Storms of this magnitude can disrupt major oil refineries and wildly rattle supply and demand when it comes to gasoline and diesel.

As hurricanes approach, bookmark this page to view a detailed Gulf Coast refineries map, updated every weekday, outlining the predicted paths of hurricanes in the U.S, and any storm-related impacts on Gulf Coast refiners ahead of and following landfall.

When there is a hurricane, you will also find daily Gulf Coast refinery news updates below as well as background information about hurricane season.

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Latest Hurricane Updates

The National Hurricane Center reported Thursday, August 21, that a tropical wave several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands could develop into a tropical depression this weekend. As of August 22, 2025, it has an 80% chance of strengthening within 48 hours and a 90% chance of developing into a cyclone over the next 7 days. Another system near the Cabo Verde Islands has a 50% chance of becoming a short-lived tropical depression before conditions turn unfavorable.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Erin is moving away from the U.S. East Coast but will continue to generate dangerous surf and rip currents along the Bahamas, East Coast, Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada in the coming days.

When is Hurricane Season?

The hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean takes up half of every year: from June 1 to Nov. 30. There is a peak period—August and through October—because warmer summer ocean temperatures drive more storm activity. Wind shear, which can prevent storms from forming, also decreases over the summer.

Each hurricane is unique in its nature. However, there is some commonality as to how an oil refinery prepares for a storm and what happens after it’s over.

Oil Refinery Activities Pre- and Post-Hurricane

Oil companies—like all commercial interests in the path of tropical weather events—closely track storms in order to act pre-emptively to protect their employees and facilities.

This involves protecting refineries so they can weather a storm. For example, a refinery might reduce or halt production for safe operation and allow employees to shelter at home or to evacuate.

Once a storm is over, depending on local conditions, (such as workers’ ability to get to their jobs) units taken down through controlled shutdown can be brought up very carefully over about a week to two weeks.

For example, that was the scenario seen with 2019’s first hurricane to make landfall—Barry. The only refinery to do a controlled shutdown was in Louisiana. It did so ahead of landfall when the impacted parish ordered mandatory evacuation. Five days later, having sustained no significant damage, the refinery began to restart.

But, keep in mind that restarts are painstaking because the chemical and thermal reactions involved in refining crude oil into fuel involve complex processes. Suffice to say, shutting and restarting refinery units does NOT come with the flip of a switch.

How Does Fuel Demand Behave During a Hurricane?

Emergency response from governments and service providers like utilities tend to increase demand for gasoline for vehicles and diesel for generators. Meanwhile, pre-storm evacuations can lift gasoline consumption.

However, because most of that demand comes from households and commercial enterprise, demand typically falls due to hurricanes’ disruption of day-to-day life. It recovers—sometimes in a one-week surge—but the net effect is generally the temporary destruction of demand.

For example, in the case of Hurricane Sandy, one report that tracked sales at the pump after landfall showed net weekly decreases of 3.9% in New England, 3.6% in the Central Atlantic and 2.7% for the Lower Atlantic region.

When Fuel Supply Is Tight, Is There Any Relief?

With something of the magnitude of a hurricane, the government takes on a significant role in the recovery of the fuel supply chain.

Hurricane Harvey, for example, hit Houston in late August 2017 and had a significant impact on the refining sector, leading to a shortage of refined products.

Because of the difficulty of getting sufficient product, the Environmental Protection Agency allowed for a temporary emergency fuel waiver for reformulated gasoline requirements in certain areas, essentially relaxing the environmental regulations in certain areas to allow residents of those areas to access gasoline.