Hurricane Isaias Nears Gulf Coast Landfall, Forcing Oil and Gas Production Shut-ins

As of 4:00 a.m. central time on October 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects Hurricane Isaias to make landfall on the Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, creating the potential for significant disruptions to energy infrastructure. Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and will be the largest storm system to make landfall in the region since Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

Hurricane Isaias’s forecasted path toward the Gulf Coast has already impacted crude oil and natural gas production in the region. The Marine Minerals Administration reports that as of Thursday, October 8, 130 production platforms and rigs have been evacuated or moved resulting in production shut-ins of about 1.3 million barrels per day of crude oil and 1.1 billion million cubic feet per day of natural gas. The U.S. Gulf Coast is home to a large portion of the U.S. refining fleet, and the impacts from Hurricane Isaias could affect refinery operations.

Principal contributors: EIA Staff