Storm Alert – October 2, 2024 – Post Tropical Storm Helene

There’s still little progress for fuel markets in the Southeast. One area seeing deteriorating conditions is Orlando. The pipeline that feeds diesel from Tampa to Orlando has been offline with no ETA for re-starts, and the market has steadily whittled down the reserve of inventory it held. In Orlando, long-hauls will be needed from other markets until the pipeline can resume.

​​​​​​​Outside of Orlando, supply conditions have generally improved, with nearly all fuel terminals back in operations. Still, long lines at the rack are tying up carrier capacity, leading to 3-5 hour lines in Florida markets and nearly the same in North Augusta, SC.

Given long lines at the racks, Mansfield remains on Code Orange in North Augusta, requesting 48-hr notice for new deliveries. The following markets remain on Code Red, requesting 72-hr lead times:

• Niceville, FL
• Panama City, FL
• Tampa, FL
• Orlando, FL

Future Storm Outlook

Tropical activity has calmed down a bit from yesterday, but forecasters are still monitoring the tropical disturbance that is moving into the Gulf. The system has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 7 days. Even if it doesn’t, forecasts show it may bring heavy rain to Florida, which would be challenging given the amount of water already dumped out over the state by Helene. Hurricane Kirk and the storm behind it, which is expected to become Hurricane Leslie in the next week, are both projected to turn northward and avoid an impact on North America.