Hurricane season may spike gas prices in New England

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Hurricane season started less than two weeks ago, and experts think storms could affect gas prices.

New England is no stranger to hurricanes and wet weather, but it’s the storms thousands of miles away that could spike gas prices.

NOAA forecasted between 17 to 25 tropical storms from June through November, the most they’ve ever issued before the season. Storms near Texas and Louisiana caused gas prices to increase as much as fifty cents in past years.

Mark Schieldrop with AAA Northeast explains how storms in the south can affect gas prices nationwide, “If that storm makes landfall, it can disrupt operations at some major refineries, and that creates an issue with getting supply out of that area and so there can be a kind of a chain reaction where we see prices increase around the country.”

While stocking up on gas may be your first thought, gasoline has a shelf life of three to six months and can be dangerous to store in high volumes.

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Jack Wu joined the 22News Storm Team in July 2023. Follow Jack on X @the_jackwu and view his bio to see more of his work.

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