Gas and travel experts break down how hurricanes can impact gas prices

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The East has seen a good amount of rain this week and although no severe weather is on the horizon, some areas in the U.S. are still cleaning up after Hurricane Beryl.

Hurricane season and severe weather can affect a variety of things, including gas prices.

Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy Petroleum Analysis Head says “Will we see a major hurricane? Will we dodge those hurricanes? And also the price of oil, like I said it’s has been rising in the last couple of weeks.”

Ahead of the season’s peak, between mid-August and October, the first category 5 hurricane has already happened.

“I believe the earliest category 5 on record means that it’s something we’ll have to watch here as we get into the peak of hurricane season which is still 3 to 4 weeks away so hurricanes can lead to refining disruptions which can lead to higher gas prices,” De Haan said.

Tiffany Wright, AAA Public Affairs Director told WITN, “A lot of people thought that when hurricane Beryl came through that we would see a bit of an increase and we did, we did in the early on stages on it. Before it hit, prices were kind of baked in, in anticipation that there might be some disruption but fortunately there wasn’t. We didn’t see that when it comes to gas and supplies so we didn’t see that. We didn’t see that. We didn’t see distribution being affected.”

Wright says the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes can be substantial. “Anytime there’s a storm brewing, that does affect what we’re going to see at the pump because the oil market reacts and they react to anticipation that there might be some disruptions and of course, we know that oil accounts for 55% of what we pay at the pump so that’s why you see an increase.”

Other factors, like busy summer travel times, play into what people pay at the pump too.

Hurricane season will last through November 30th and De Haan says relief may come as fewer people tend to travel in cooler months. “Gas prices go down literally every fall simply because Americans drive less and less, and because we switch to cheaper winter gas so that’s going to happen in the fall.”

Wright says the last time there was a significant increase in gas prices in the south was in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey.

Right now, De Haan says the price of oil is $80 a barrel, another factor driving up costs.

GasBuddy releases a report each Monday regarding the current prices and what to expect on their website.

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