STORM ALERT: Hurricane Idalia – August 28, 2023

Over the weekend, Idalia has strengthened from a potential storm into a soon-to-be major hurricane. Hurricane Idalia is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds above 110 mph, before making landfall in Florida between Tampa and the Panhandle.

Hurricane Idalia will progress slowly over Cuba, remaining there for most of today before making its way into the Gulf of Mexico. From there, the storm will speed up while intensifying, traversing the Gulf and making landfall in Florida by Wednesday morning.  Upon landfall, the storm will bring life-threatening storm surge, heavy winds, and flooding along the coast. Fortunately, given the storm’s speed, it won’t linger over Florida long. The storm will hit southern Georgia with hurricane-force strength by Wednesday afternoon, continuing to dump heavy rain along the Southeast.

Florida’s fuel markets are mostly cut off from the rest of the country’s fueling infrastructure, which means any potential supply impact is unlikely to spread. Because central and southern Florida are entirely barge-fed, the storm may disrupt supply shipments temporarily. Terminal closures are also possible, given the strength of the storm. As wind speeds pick up, fuel deliveries will be temporarily ceased; at wind speeds above 30 mph, driving fuel trucks becomes hazardous.

Mansfield is moving to Level 3 alert, meaning we are monitoring the storm’s progress and making operational adjustments as needed. As a precaution, Mansfield is moving to Code Yellow in central Florida, requesting 24 hours-notice for new deliveries.