Tropical Storm Isaac Could Cause Increased Gas Prices

As the Tropical Storm Isaac, soon-to-be called Hurricane Isaac, rips across the Gulf of Mexico, offshore oil rigs could be closed.

That could essentially push gas prices up across the country by 10 cents a gallon or higher during the next few weeks, depending on the severity of the storm, according to a USA Today article.

In Iowa, the AAA reported gas prices could rise around 25 cents a gallon by this time next week there. The AAA in Minnesota does not want to speculate on what could happen closer to home because of the wide range of variabilities that change gas prices.

The National Hurricane Center has predicted that the tropical storm will become a hurricane on Tuesday with 74 to 95 mph winds. It is expected to hit from an area southwest of New Orleans to the edge of Florida's panhandle.

The cheapest unleaded gas available in Plymouth as of Tuesday morning is $3.66 per gallon, at Holiday Gas Station on Campus Drive and Fernbrook Lane. That is a two cents increase over prices Monday afternoon at the same locations.

Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The potential for a landfall as a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Tuesday prompted evacuations along a wide area of the Gulf Coast and sent people out to stock up on staples.

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