The winter storm in Texas could affect your wallet at the gas pump

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The winter storm and frigid temperatures in Texas are having a direct impact on us in Jacksonville.

The place we’ll feel it the most is at the gas pump.

A lot of the fuel you pump into your car, comes from oil refineries in Texas but the winter storm forced them to shut down or cut back on operations.

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“This is very similar to a hurricane. It’s causing power outages to a lot of the refineries that make the gasoline and then a lot of the terminals in the area are also dealing with power outages so it makes it more difficult for the ships to get the gasoline and then bring over to our state,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman.

That means, you’ll start to see a difference in prices the next time you fill up.

The good news is, it’s not going to increase dramatically.

“Based on what we’re seeing from a wholesale side from gasoline futures on the stock market we could be seeing a ceiling of around $2.60,” said Jenkins.

It’s unclear how long this increase could last. Jenkins said it all depends on how quickly the cold weather can move out of Texas and how fast the refineries can get back to normal.

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Cox Media Group