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I'm not trying to start a rumor or a panic, and this is just a the few gas stations along my way to work, and it may very well be a temporary situation due to hoarding behavior rather than some deeper cause....
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Three out of three gas stations I stopped at on the way to work (two BP Connect and one Mobil) were all out of gas. Everything. The Two BP stations had bright green tape blocking the pumps. I'm wondering (hopeing?) it's just because people decided to fill up early / extra after hearing about rising gas prices. And I think I've read where gas stations only keep a few days to a week of gas on hand (and that's at normal demand).

Still. I thought I'd mention it. For a while now, I've been treating "half full" as empty, and topping off. Glad I did.

Yeah, starting to see that here as well, just scattered shortages but ... I'm starting to treat half-full the same way, since I have a 50 mile commute every day.

Only have 2 stations in town, one dried up Tuesday, got gas in & jumped 60 cents/gallon(3.08.9). supposedly said that when that ran out he would not get any more.
Heard of several stations in Memphis out of gas. Don't know if it is just a run on gas or no supply. Maybe we need to legalize moonshine as a fuel.

Same Here

So far so good here in VT. Everything petrochem (including motor oil) is climbing in price, but so far I haven't seen a shortage. That said, I'm in the dorms, so my car is getting PARKED for the forseeable. One run into town a week, for groceries, and to keep everything in good shape.

My colleagues said they haven't had problems with supply, but the local evening news did report a price of $4.09/gallon -- premium, not regular -- at a gas station up in Mt. Vernon (Westchester County) tonight.

A suggestion to all. For the price of a couple of gallons of gas you can purchase a gas tank lock at WalMart. Losing a tank of gas to the carriers of "Arkansas credit cards" can cost you $50 to $75 in the wee hours of the morning while you are sleeping with a big smile on your face dreaming of that full tank you have (had) in the parking lot, carport, etc. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

It will be interesting to track the supply of fuel through reports like these from the group. Please tell us where you live so we can get a good picture of the gas flow.

I live in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. Our ports take in overseas oil and I believe that we also have substantial refinery capability in the area. I expect that fuel shortages will have a lesser affect here. I have not seen any signs of shortage. The price for a gallon of regular is getting up close to $3/gallon, but we also have one of the highest gas taxes in the country. But, so far, so good. The fuel flows here.

Like another member mentioned, I am also tanking up at the half full mark on the gauge. I just refreshed my personal stockpile of gasoline. I keep 20 gallons, stored in 5 gallon Rubbermaid gas containers, stored in a cool location outside of my house. I use it to feed the mower, to have juice for our generator if the mains fail, and as insurance to get the cars going long distances if Mt. Rainier decides to try a Mt. St. Helens sequel.

I initially filled them up back in 2001. I added Sta-Bil fuel preservative before filling. Of course, since I purchased a generator the power hasn't failed, and the mower is anorexic with its meager use of fuel. 4 years later I still have 15 gallons of old gas. I took a chance and poured it all in to my beloved, gas guzzling Landcruiser. I expected it to run like crap. Big surprise, it runs great and actually gave me one more mile to the gallon (no small feat when it normally gets about 10 mpg). The moral here is that fuel storage is no real concern if preservative is properly used.

TR

Regular gas here in Northeast Florida has jumped to 3.08a gallon. Another interesting item I found is most of the hardware stores (Lowes / Home Depot) have sold out of the 5 gallon gasoline container around here and that the sale of generators are picking up also. (Probally being sent to the Gulf Coast)

Down here in LA (Lower Alabama, east of Mobile, west of Pensacola) everybody is waiting in line for gas. I spent 30 minutes today in line and my friend's wife spent two hours yesterday. I was surprised to only pay $2.80! I was expecting over three bucks a gallon.

I found gas after reading WFTV's Pump Patrol forum. $3.19 for regular, they were out of mid grade and premium.

I just tried to mail order some gas cans and a locking gas cap (good suggestion KyBooneFan). I tried 4 or 5 places (in order of familiarity / popularity) before finding a site that appears to have them in stock.

" Cheaper Than Dirt " has been advertising some good looking French military gas cans (new) for some time at a reasonable price. Be sure and get the matching flexible nozzle.

CORRECTION on my earlier post on Cheaper Than Dirt gas cans. They are ISRAELI, not FRENCH. Sell for $19.97. I cannot determine if they are metal or plastic. I suspect they are metal as I see what appears to be weld joints around the handle. Search site for item ZAA-090. Says uses "standard" fuel nozzles whatever that is. web page

Heh. Wondered about that. The French cans looked old.. rusty.

Recommend a good place to buy Sta-Bil?

Groo, i live in the suburbs of Orlando and gas this morning was 2.89 when i filled the car. Went to Deleon Springs (north of Deland) this morning and as i was driving there were places where several stations in a row were out of gas but within a few miles there were places with fuel. What i did notice was the the further i made it from greater Orlando area the price of gas went from 2.89-2.99 to 3.09-3.19. And there was no shortage of cars on the road.

This was over by UCF, which I'm hoping had something to do with it.

I just bought a bottle of Sta-Bil yesterday at WalMart. Cost 9.36, enough to treat 80 gallons. Or one ounce treats 2 1/2 gallons. Also works with diesel fuel. They have a smaller size but ounce for ounce, the larger is the best buy.

I wonder what you have to put in Sta-Bil to keep it fresh. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

On the way home yesterday, I saw gas between $2.99 & $3.19 per gallon. One of the stations @ 3.19 is next door to a station & within 2-3 blocks of 2 other stations stations @ 2.99. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

In central Ohio today (Saturday 9/3), reg. gasoline is down to 2.98 most places. It was $3.09 from Wednesday - Friday.

Michael

Went to my usual BP yesterday here in Chicago and it was out of gas. Saw later on the news another BP out of gas. They were the cheapest around at $3.19. I drove past another place a few blocks away for $3.69 then ran into one at $3.39 where I filled up. Driving around looking for stocked gas stations and better prices is getting pricey!

Gas at 79th+Harlem 2.99 a gallon. We just came from dinner in Chicago, (33rd Halsted) 3.25 a gal and up

Central California $3.27 a gallon for regular. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I've always heard long term gas storage (over a few months) even with stabilizer leads to gunking and you should pour old gas into your car tank when it's mostly full of fresh gas, so the mixture is mostly fresh gas. I also thought metal gas cans had fallen out of favor due to higher chances of rust and sparking. They were common some decades ago but all I see is red plastic now.

My current car is a Civic hatchback, 10.6 gallon tank at about 37 mpg (assuming not stuck in a traffic clog), so 350+ miles safe range. The hybrid Hondas use the same size tank with the Insight (2 seater) getting something like 70 mpg, so 700+ miles of range. I'll seriously consider that issue next time I go car shopping (not anytime soon). That approach seems in some ways more effective than trying to stash large quantities of gas to run a guzzling vehicle. At minimum, if I had four 5-gal cans at home, I'd rotate them--pour one in the car every so often and refill it. With a Honda Insight and a full tank plus 20 gal in the trunk, you're set for 2000+ miles, enough to get way far away from an affected region.

Frankly in a bugout situation I might well prefer a motorcycle to a car. Much longer fuel range than most cars, and can zip around traffic clogs.

When i filled up my tank it was over in Altomonte Springs. I live in the Tuskawilla area and gas is 2.99 a gallon at the close by stations.

Off of the topic of fuel, Pace Outfitters (on 434 near 436) has a selection of flashlights on sale. http://www.paceoutfitters.com/ Picked up a Surefire L2 for 82.99 which is a really good price from what i have seen. If you are like everyone else here i'm sure you can't turn down another led flashlight.

I may have to buy a car sooner than I expected if the shortages continue. I feel the pain of the SUV owners without actually owning an SUV. My corvette gets 27 highway, but only 15 in the city. Less, really, considering all the lights between home and work. Topping off every few days is a pain, and not a good long term solution. I'd like the comfort of knowing I have a full tank or two of gas at home so that if something happens, I'm covered. Besides, it's still hurricane season, so I can always use it in the generator.

As for long term storage of gas, Sta-Bil's web site says you can store it up to 12 months, two years if you double the amount of Sta-Bil. We'll see. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

PM sent.

Something else I fogot to mention.

Last year, after the second or third hurricane. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> gas became scarce. Something to do with damage to a port where most / all of central Florida's gas comes in or something. Anyway, gas was even harder to find than recently. And it lasted a couple of weeks.

Not everyone has the ability to store some gas, but it may not be a bad idea to add it to the List for those who do... A couple of weeks worth of food, water and now, gas. As with any other supply, rotate the stock as needed.

I'm not talking about a doomsday scenario. But given the just in time inventory management practiced by nearly everyone these days, gas seems to run out quick if regular resupply is interrupted (even at normal demand).

Now THAT'S an idea that's LONG overdue!!!

Troy

Good thing I bought my 500 gallons of gas and 1000 gallons of diesel before all this. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I know this is a little of topic but I have this old military gas can with a screw of lid. It is rusted inside and has about a liter of old gas in it. How might I bring it back to new? I put some paint thinner in it to break up the gas but how do you get the rust out and make it safe to put gas in. The tank doses have sentimental value.