Hurricane Francine made US landfall as Cat 2: How will it impact the Northeast?

Hurricane Francine made US landfall Wednesday night, hitting southern Louisiana with over 100 mph winds as a Category 2 hurricane, causing widespread power outages and flooding.

The storm is the strongest hurricane to make US landfall this season.

Francine has now weakened to a tropical depression as it moved inland over South Central Mississippi, bringing heavy rainfall across the state and neighboring Alabama and the Florida panhandle as it heads Northeast. Storm Surge Warnings are in effect as there is danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

The storm is not forecasted to reach the Northeast, but Francine's impacts are being felt in other ways — at the gas and oil pumps.

How Francine impacts the Northeast

U.S. crude oil jumped more than 2% on Wednesday as almost 39% of oil and almost half of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut down. A total of 171 production platforms and three rigs had been evacuated according to news source .

Louisiana energy hubs accounts for about 15% of total U.S. crude-oil production and the Gulf Coast is home to more than 48% of the nation's total U.S. petroleum refining capacity, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The disruptions to oil and gas production may be affected for approximately two weeks, which could be reflected in higher prices as the pump for a time.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Hurricane Francine made US landfall as Cat 2: How will it impact the Northeast?