Tropical Storm Barry could cause a price hike of gasoline

Gas prices could rise after Tropical Storm Barry on the Gulf Coast, where they are currently threatening millions of people.

The average price of gasoline in the domestic market has increased in recent weeks, according to AAA. The average price was $ 2.78 a gallon on Friday, up about two cents from last week.

GasBuddy, an app that helps consumers find the cheapest gasoline in their area, wrote in a tweet on Thursday: "We are monitoring #TropicalStormBarry to detect faults and fuel related activities. Half of gas and oil production in the Gulf is closed due to the storm. We can see the price of gasoline increase in the near future. "

A number of states have recently taken steps to increase their taxes on gasoline. The 13 states that have introduced new taxes on gasoline include California, Ohio and Illinois.

Patrick DeHaan, an oil analyst at GasBuddy, told USA Today that prices would "go up," but that the impact would be "minor". He said he was more worried about the storm in the refineries.

"For the Gulf region, because of the large refining capacity, I would be less worried about prices and more worried about supply disruptions," DeHaan said.

At the same time, US oil producers have evacuated oil rig workers from 257 offshore installations and seven platforms in anticipation of the storm, which is expected to land on Saturday morning.

"Only storm victims have followed emergency procedures to evacuate personnel and prepare for the worst," Louisiana Oil & Gas Association president Gifford Briggs said on Friday. "The Countdown Claman" from FOX Business.

Oil prices rose slightly to $ 60.21 a barrel.

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After hurricane Harvey in 2017, gas prices have risen as a result of the floods that forced Gulf Coast refineries and the country's largest gas pipeline to temporarily close. Gasoline prices climbed 10 cents from the previous week after the storm, according to AAA.

On Saturday, Tropical Storm Barry was set up as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained maximum winds of 75 mph as it rushes off the coast of Louisiana. We expect the storm to bring heavy rain and extinguish the current. The storm hit land in Louisiana on Saturday and was downgraded to a tropical storm.

Henry Fernandez of FOX Business and Associated Press contributed to this report.