Hurricane Isaias disrupts U.S. oil production in Gulf of Mexico, threatens refineries

Hurricane Isaias is disrupting U.S. crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and could limit about 2% of the country's refining capacity, at a time when fuel markets are already tight around the world. Isaias is churning toward Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center , and is expected to make landfall Friday night or early Saturday. As of Thursday, oil companies had shut in about 1.3 million barrels per day, or roughly 63% of total U.S. production in the Gulf, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement .