As the Atlantic hurricane season churns out storms that regularly threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast, it can be easy to forget that the East Coast — an important refining center and refined-products market — is not immune from their impact. A dozen years ago this month, Superstorm Sandy roared ashore in New Jersey, wreaking havoc with storm surges and fierce winds that stretched for 1,000 miles. While the East Coast lacks the Gulf Coast’s concentration of energy infrastructure, it is home to the critical New York Harbor (NYH) market. In today’s RBN blog, we will examine how storms have affected the refining sector on the East Coast.
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Before we review the impact that storms have had along the Eastern Seaboard, let’s look at what the hurricane season — which runs from June 1 through November 30 — has dished out this year. Five hurricanes (gray-shaded rows in Figure 1 below) have struck the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC), of which three (Beryl, Helene and Milton) were major hurricanes, although they may have weakened before landfall. Just so we understand what that means, sustained winds define a hurricane’s strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale in five categories: a Category 1 storm has wind speeds of 74-95 miles per hour (mph) while a Category 5 is 157 mph or higher; major storms are those in Category 3-5, where wind speeds reach and exceed 111 mph.
Figure. 1. Named Storms in 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Source: National Hurricane Center. Note: Gray-Shaded Rows Indicate Storms That Made a U.S. Landfall * Debby Made a Second Landfall in South Carolina
In Riders on the Storm, we discussed how Hurricane Beryl disrupted some offshore Gulf of Mexico (GOM) production in July when it swept through, but operations recovered soon after. However, the Category 1 storm knocked out power for weeks in some areas after coming ashore near Matagorda, TX. The slightly stronger Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana two months later, and we examined in Gimme Shelter how its impact on power supply had a knock-on effect on GOM operations. At its height, more than 40% of offshore oil output was shut until power was restored to onshore downstream facilities.
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About the song
“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff. The song, performed by Simple Minds, is the first track on side one of the soundtrack album for The Breakfast Club. The song appears in the opening and closing scenes of John Hughes’s hit film. Keith Forsey, who was producing the music for the film, originally pitched the tune to Bryan Ferry, Billy Idol and Corey Hart, who all passed on it. According to Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr, his band initially did not want to do the song but were persuaded to do it by Chrissie Hynde (Kerr’s wife at the time) and A&M Records. The song was released as a single in February 1985 and went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles and Mainstream Rock Singles charts. It was later included on Simple Minds’ 1992 best-of-collection album, Glittering Prize 81/92. The video of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” received heavy rotation on MTV at the time. Personnel on the record were: Jim Kerr (lead vocals), Charlie Burchill (guitar, keyboards), Mick MacNeil (keyboards), John Giblin, Derek Forbes (bass), and Mike Ogletree, Kenny Hyslop, Mel Gaynor (drums).
The Breakfast Club soundtrack album as recorded in 1984 and produced by Keith Forsey. Released in February 1985, the album went to #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The album also featured cuts by Forsey, Elizabeth Daily, Wang Chung and Karla DeVito. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was the only single released from the LP.
Simple Minds is a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. Twenty-one members have passed through the band since its formation. They have released 21 studio albums, 12 live albums, 10 compilation albums, seven EPs, and 67 singles. They have won two ASCAP Pop Music Awards and an Ivor Novello Award. The band continues to record and tour and finished their latest tour in the UK in July 2024. Simple Minds will release a 40th anniversary, four-CD box set of their album Sparkle in the Rain in November.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
