Hurricane Delta, the 30th storm of the 2020 season, disrupted at least three oil refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast last week, due to either damage or power outages.

It is the latest installment of a long hurricane season, and the third storm to disrupt petroleum and chemical manufacturing along the U.S. Gulf Coast, which are the primary destinations for oil and gas recovered from the Gulf of Mexico.

The first, Hurricane Laura, hit the Louisiana coast in late August, although damage to refineries was minimal and most were able to resume operations within a few days; a Citgo faciliity in Lake Charles, Lousiana, being a notable exception. There were no chemical releases reported, as many plants burned off excess chemicals to prevent this.

Then in mid-September, Hurricane Sally hit the Alabama coast. Onshore plants and refineries operated normally throughout the storm, or had scheduled downtime to minimize storm risks, and were able to resume operations shortly thereafter.

An abnormally active storm season could contribute to fluctuating energy prices.