FACTBOX-A short history of U.S. oil refining losses due to hurricanes

Retail gasoline prices jumped 15 cents to $3.89 per gallon. Most refining capacity was restored quickly following each hurricane. Retail gasoline prices rose 29 cents to $2.80 per gallon. Much of the capacity came back online quickly, but some refineries, especially in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Texas-area, remained shut for months.

Historically, the Atlantic hurricanes have prompted U.S. oil refiners to temporarily shut in millions of barrels of capacity, boosting gasoline and diesel prices in much of the country. Here is a list of recent storms and their impact on regional fuel availability and retail prices:

KATRINA-RITA, 2005 In 2005, hurricanes Katrina and Rita disrupted 5.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of U.S. refining capacity, swamping plants in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Some outages continued for over a year to repair damage.

The peak outage was equal to 33% of national capacity of 17.1 million bpd in 2005. Retail gasoline prices jumped 46 cents to $3.12 per gallon. If a similar outage occurred this year, 31% of national capacity of 17.9 million bpd would likely be shut. GUSTAV, IKE, 2008 In 2008, Hurricane Gustav shut 2.7 million bpd of capacity at refineries in Louisiana in early September. That was equal to 15.6% of national capacity of 17.3 million bpd at the time.

Later that month, Hurricane Ike struck Texas, knocking out 4 million bpd of refining capacity, or 23% of national capacity. Retail gasoline prices jumped 15 cents to $3.89 per gallon.

Most refining capacity was restored quickly following each hurricane. An outage similar to that caused by Gustav would idle 15% of national capacity in 2022, and an Ike-size outage would shut 22%.

HARVEY, 2017 Hurricane Harvey flooded the Texas coast and temporarily shut almost all the state's refining capacity, swamping up to 4.4 million bpd of refining. Retail gasoline prices rose 29 cents to $2.80 per gallon.

Much of the capacity came back online quickly, but some refineries, especially in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Texas-area, remained shut for months. The outage was equal 23.6% of national capacity of 18.6 million bpd in 2017. A similar outage in 2022 would idle nearly 25% of national capacity.