Fuel outages at NC gas stations continue to fall as Colonial Pipeline returns to 'normal' operations
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The state has seen a minor change in the number of gas stations regaining fuel in the last day, according to GasBuddy which is now reporting 47 percent of North Carolina stations are without gas.
North Carolina hovered somewhere in the upper 50s since Sunday, peaking several days ago with more than 70 percent of stations being empty.
On Monday, Colonial Pipeline reiterated that the supply chain will take some time to catch up since the pipeline system restart last Wednesday. The company said operations are back to normal.
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State officials continue to discourage panic-buying. They say people rushing out to fill up all their vehicles and topping off their tanks despite not really needing it was a major reason for all the gas station outages in the first place.
GasBuddy says data shows North Carolina remains one of the hardest hit states during the shortage. However, all states in the southeast are slowly getting back to normal.
Memorial Day
AAA said North Carolina will start to see more relief in the coming days. The organization said gas prices will likely continue to climb heading into Memorial Day weekend.
Currently, prices are trending more than $1 higher than last year.
At $2.93, North Carolina gas price averages are 29 cents more than this time in May 2019, according to AAA.
Current prices are also 30 cents more expensive than a month ago.
Gas prices are expected to stay near $3 per gallon leading up to Memorial Day weekend.
More than 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more between May 27 and May 31. That's a 60% increase from last year, AAA says.
In North Carolina, 1.1 million residents are expected to take a holiday trip. That's up 61% from last year.
Why is North Carolina being hit so hard?
There is no gasoline shortage in the U.S., according to government officials and energy analysts.
However, the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack exposed a critical vulnerability in how both crude oil and refined petroleum makes its way across the country and to gas stations.
Panic-buying taking toll on fuel supply and mental health
Refineries are what turn crude oil into gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, propane and any other number of products. They are spread across the country, but some of the largest are in Houston and New Orleans. That's where the Colonial Pipeline comes in -- transporting that gasoline directly to dozens of giant tanks across the southeast. These tanks or terminals then fill up smaller fuel trucks that haul up to 8,000 gallons of fuel to local stations.
All of the North Carolina terminals are basically running on empty because the pipeline was shut down. Still, the main well has not run dry. There is plenty of gasoline at the refineries but the challenge is how to get it to North Carolina.
In the meantime, trucks, trains and even barges are hauling gasoline. But, at the Wilmington port, there is only room for two barges, and there's a significant wait time there for fuel trucks to fill up. Then there's the added drive time.
Sandhills
The hunt was still on for gas in the Sandhills on Monday, especially along Interstate 95 where travelers have been looking for refuel as they pass through North Carolina.
Gas Buddy still shows dozens of gas stations with little to no fuel in the area.
One Exxon station became a source of relief for locals and travelers like Delaware resident Jay Stevens.
"We stopped more often than we might otherwise have but had no problems. Some stations had one or the other type fuel, but they all had fuel," he said.
But right next door at a Circle K, bags were covering the pumps.
Across the street at BP, there was a fresh supply.
Phurnia Jordan, a Cumberland County resident, said she was never worried but was happy to be filling up after a weekend of errands.
"I've got some doctor appointments I've got to keep this weekend," she said.
The Associated Press contributed.
