Grapevine

Florida gas stations are running out of fuel as people flee Hurricane Milton

Nearly 16% of gas stations in Florida had run out of fuel as of late-morning Tuesday as people flee north to escape the path of Hurricane Milton, according to data from GasBuddy.

Many stations simply can't keep up with gasoline demand as millions of Floridians collectively evacuate, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. About 1,200 of the state's 7,900 gas stations are currently without fuel, according to the data.

"The sheer bulk of this is simply people getting out of harm's way," De Haan told CNBC. Prices should not rise as a consequence of the storm because infrastructure and refineries are not expected to be impacted, he said.

Milton is forecast to make landfall on the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday night and then move east-northeastward across the central part of the state through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Milton is currently a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The storm is forecast to remain "an extremely dangerous hurricane" through landfall in Florida, according to the forecasters.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday morning that the state was stockpiling fuel ahead of the storm. Gas stations are running out of fuel and lines are long but there is not a shortage in the state, DeSantis said.