About two-thirds of oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has been halted as Hurricane Isaias grows stronger. The hurricane is expected to make landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, leading to widespread evacuations of offshore platforms and preparations for potential disruptions in ports and maritime activities.
The Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) stated on Thursday that around 62.9% of daily offshore oil production, which amounts to 1.28 million barrels per day, has been shut down as operators evacuate personnel and equipment from the storm’s path.
Natural gas production has also been impacted, with 57.4% of daily output, or about 1.13 billion cubic feet per day, temporarily offline.
This shutdown represents a significant rise from Wednesday, when only about 25% of Gulf oil production was offline.
According to the latest figures from the MMA, 121 production platforms have been evacuated, which is nearly one-third of the 371 operational platforms in the Gulf. Additionally, five non-dynamically positioned drilling rigs have been evacuated, and four dynamically positioned rigs have relocated away from the storm's trajectory.
These disruptions are occurring as Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, continues to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico.
As per the National Hurricane Center’s advisory on Thursday at 10 a.m. CDT, Isaias has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and is located about 380 miles south of the Mississippi River's mouth, moving east-northeast at 10 mph.
Forecasters predict that the hurricane will gain strength as it nears the northern Gulf Coast, with landfall expected late Friday or early Saturday. Hurricane and storm surge warnings are in effect for parts of the coast, with expectations of damaging winds, hazardous coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that it is preparing to respond to the storm's effects, including restoring port operations when conditions permit.