Tennessee Gas Prices On The Rise In Hurricane Harvey's Wake

NASHVILLE, TN — Gas prices in Tennessee are already surging as Hurricane Harvey continues its relentless pounding of the Texas Gulf Coast, one of the United States' primary energy centers.

Refineries throughout southeast Texas shut down ahead of Harvey's landfall last week, with several more going off-line as the storm caused historic flooding from Corpus Christi into Houston, the nation's oil hub and fourth-largest city. Colonial Pipeline announced it was suspending operations in Houston, Pasadena and Cedar Grove Monday, but said that its facilities to the east could still still pump fuel as supplies become available. Altogether, a quarter of the entire Gulf Coast's refining capacity is offline, according to the Oil Price Information Service, equating to 2.5 million barrels per day.

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The uncertainty in supply has driven gas prices higher in Tennessee. The statewide average for a gallon of regular was $2.18, up four cents from last week, similar to national trends. Tennessee's average price is still about 20 cents below the national average.

Tennessee's metro areas have all seen increases over the last week, ranging from a penny in Memphis to six cents in Knoxville. The average prices in each metro area, according to AAA, are:

• Chattanooga: $2.10, up from $2.06 last week
• Clarksville: $2.12, up from $2.07
• Tri-Cities: $2.17, up from $2.12
• Knoxville: $2.15, up from $2.09
• Memphis: $2.20, up from $2.19
• Nashville: $2.21, up from $2.16

AAA says a total price jump of 10 to 30 cents would not be unexpected over the next few weeks.

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