Why it matters
- U.S. Gulf of Mexico producers shut in about 71.5% of oil output, roughly 1.5 million barrels a day, and 58.8% of gas output on Friday, Oct. 9, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. Marine Minerals Administration.
- The National Hurricane Center said at 4 p.m. CDT that Isaias was a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds, about 90 miles south of Pensacola, and expected landfall on the western Florida Panhandle Friday evening.
- Brent crude settled up 0.42% at $104.72 a barrel and U.S. crude rose 0.39% to $91.85, Reuters reported, as Iran comments offset the hurricane risk.
U.S. offshore producers shut in about 71.5% of Gulf of Mexico oil production and 58.8% of natural gas output on Friday, Oct. 9, as Hurricane Isaias closed in on the northern Gulf Coast, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. Marine Minerals Administration. That is about 1.5 million barrels of oil a day and 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas a day, according to Reuters.
At 4 p.m. CDT Friday, the National Hurricane Center said Isaias was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph. Its center was about 90 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, moving north at 17 mph. The NHC said it expects Isaias to make landfall along the coast of the western Florida Panhandle on Friday evening. The storm had not made landfall as of that advisory.
How much Gulf oil and gas is shut in?
The shut-ins rose from Thursday, when about 62.9% of daily offshore oil output was offline, according to agency figures reported by gCaptain.
| Measure | Thursday, Oct. 8 (11 a.m. CDT) | Friday, Oct. 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Oil shut in | 62.9%, about 1.28 million bpd | 71.51%, about 1.5 million bpd |
| Gas shut in | 57.4%, about 1.13 billion cu. ft./day | 58.84%, about 1.3 billion cu. ft./day |
| Production platforms evacuated | 121 of 371 | 129 of 371 (34.8%) |
Sources: Marine Minerals Administration data as reported by gCaptain (Thursday) and Reuters (Friday).
Crews were also evacuated from eight non-dynamically positioned rigs, or 72.7% of the 11 such rigs working in the Gulf, Reuters said. Forecaster Earth Science Associates estimated the storm could disrupt about 7.2 million barrels of Gulf oil production, down from its estimate of 9 million barrels on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Shell completed evacuations at its Appomattox, Mars, Ursa, Olympus and Vito facilities, and production remained shut in at Mars, Ursa, Olympus and Vito, Reuters reported. Chevron kept output running at four operated platforms and shut in the other five.
Are Gulf Coast refineries at risk?
About 500,000 barrels a day of refining capacity is in the storm's path, including the refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Energy Aspects estimated, according to Reuters.
How did oil prices react?
Prices edged higher. Brent crude futures settled at $104.72 a barrel, up 44 cents, or 0.42%, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $91.85, up 36 cents, or 0.39%, Reuters reported. Prices fell earlier in the session after President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were "productive" and on China's plans to resume refined fuel exports, Reuters said. "Trump's Iran pledge along with China's resumption of product exports were moving prices lower," PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga told Reuters.
The small gain followed Thursday's 4% jump, covered in Brent Oil Settles Up 4% at $104.28 on Iran Fears and Hurricane Isaias. High fuel costs were also behind Delta's profit forecast cut on Friday.
What does the hurricane center expect next?
A Hurricane Warning covers Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida, the NHC said. It warned that storm surge could reach 6 to 9 feet above ground from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach, Florida, if the peak surge comes at high tide. Isaias is expected to drop 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia, with local totals up to 15 inches.
The NHC expects Isaias to weaken after landfall, move across Alabama into the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, and become post-tropical on Saturday. Follow more energy market news on oil, gas and power prices.
Sources
- National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Isaias Advisory Number 13, 4 p.m. CDT Oct. 9, 2026
- National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Isaias Forecast Discussion Number 12 (Oct. 9, 2026)
- Reuters, via BOE Report, About 71.5% of US Gulf oil production shut in ahead of Hurricane Isaias (Oct. 9, 2026)
- Reuters, via BOE Report, US Gulf producers shut in more oil and gas as Isaias nears landfall (Oct. 9, 2026)
- gCaptain, Hurricane Isaias Shuts Down Nearly Two-Thirds of Gulf Oil Production (Oct. 8, 2026)
- Reuters, via Yahoo Finance, Oil prices settle higher as more production shut ahead of hurricane (Oct. 9, 2026)
