WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
Will Dorian impact how much you pay at the pump?
ANSWER:
After speaking with our experts, we can verify -- no, Hurricane Dorian is not expected to cause a nationwide spike in gas prices.
SOURCES:
Gas Buddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick DeHaan
American Automobile Association
PROCESS:
Now that Hurricane Dorian is barreling down on the east coast, you can count on our Verify unit to answer all your questions and get the facts.
Right now, the storm is between a possible category 2 or 3, expected to hit the Carolina’s and Florida overnight on Wednesday.
But will Dorian impacts be felt nationwide? Will this storm impact gas prices in the U.S?
Verify researchers went to experts from Gas Buddy.com and a spokesperson from AAA. First, AAA says any Hurricane can have a national impact on pump prices if it significantly knocks out the nation’s ability to refine oil. That’s what happened in 2017 with Hurricane Harvey.
Harvey pounded Houston, an oil refining hub, wiping out a third of all U.S. refining capacity.
GasBuddy says it doesn't look like Hurricane Dorian will impact the price of gas nationwide because the Carolinas and Florida don’t have oil refineries.
For those concerned about pricing impacts from Hurricane Dorian, we remind motorists that not all hurricanes impact prices. The number of refineries seeing such impacts for Dorian will likely be zero, and that makes all the difference. GasBuddy's app also continues to track where motorists can find gas in Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina with Dorian bearing down," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
The latest AAA report shows gas prices have been up slightly, about four cents, in Florida because drivers were filling up ahead of the storm and that caused some temporary gas shortages in the sunshine state.
So, after speaking with our experts we can verify, false, Hurricane Dorian is not expected to cause a nationwide spike in gas prices.
But experts say oil prices and gas prices will still fluctuate for reasons not related to the storm, primarily due to trade tensions with China.