Hurricane Sally has developed into a strong category 1 hurricane  with sustained winds of 90 mph. It is currently south-southeast of Biloxi, MS and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday along the Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida panhandle vicinity. Flooding rains, high winds, and dangerous storm surge are expected in those coastal areas.  Tropical-storm-force winds will affect areas up to 125 miles from the center of the storm.

Already, the storm has forced a few refineries to reduce or halt operations, giving a small lift to regional fuel prices. Ports in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Pascagoula closed yesterday night. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) also closed, temporarily limiting America’s oil imports and exports.

Mansfield is adding coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle to Code Orange. Mansfield is already on Code Orange for the New Orleans market and coastal Mississippi. As the storm passes, Mansfield’s Operations Team will assess damage and communicate further information as it becomes available.