Rafael proposes to stop oil and gas production in the offshore area of the Gulf of Mexico

National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan joined FOX Weather Wednesday morning and reported that Hurricane Rafael is now forecast to become a major hurricane before the late-season storm hits Cuba on Wednesday.

HOUSTON – Late season hurricane According to researchers, the Gulf of Mexico could reduce US oil production by 4 million barrels.

Hurricane Raphael It strengthened into a Category 2 storm early Wednesday morning. Forecasters said it could reach hurricane strength before hitting Cuba. Millions of residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast are watching the hurricane as it batters Cuba with devastating winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves.

This satellite image shows Hurricane Rafael on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.

(NOAA)

A leading energy, agriculture and logistics forecaster warned that Rafael’s path would directly impact major oil and gas producing regions in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to cause significant maritime closures, especially in the eastern and southern quadrants.

Shutdown is a practice in the petroleum industry in which production in a particular area is deliberately reduced to below maximum capacity.

“The closure pattern will be Friday and into the weekend and will shift from east to west across the maritime zone,” John Davis, chief meteorologist for Everstream Analytics, told FOX Weather.

RAFAEL COULD BECOME A SEVERE HURRICANE BEFORE ENTERING CUBA AS LATE-SEASON STORMS INTENSIFY

A worker walks along a ramp leaving the Shell Vito platform as workers continue construction at the Kiewit Offshore Services facility Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Ingleside.

(Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images/Getty Images)

As Rafael weakens over the northern Gulf of Mexico, minimal damage to infrastructure is expected, Davis added.

“This is always the biggest concern because damage to infrastructure affects production (supplies) for long periods of time,” he said. “Any shutdowns will be short-lived and production disruptions will quickly recover early next week.”

Raphael could cause U.S. oil production to decline by 3.1 million to 4.9 million barrels and natural gas production by 4.56 billion to 6.39 billion cubic feet, according to Earth Science Associates. Reuters reported.

HURRICANE RAFAEL TRACKER: FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI CHARTS, LIVE MAPS, WARNINGS AND MORE

This video shows winds picking up in Key West as Hurricane Rafael moves hundreds of miles south in the Caribbean. Key West is under a tropical storm warning, and forecasters say the late-season storm could approach a major hurricane before making landfall in Cuba on Wednesday.

Chevron, Shell And BP All said they moved non-essential personnel from several platforms to shore ahead of the hurricane as a precaution.

According to Shell, crews have safely suspended some drilling activities on its Appomattox, Vito, Ursa, Mars, Auger and Enchilada/Salsa platforms.

“We currently have no other impacts to our production in the Gulf of Mexico,” the company said. company said.

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November hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico are extremely rare, Davis said. Since 1851, only five such storms have been recorded. The most powerful of these was Category 3 Hurricane Kate, which struck Florida in 1985.