CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Hurricane Harvey is taking a toll on thousands of people when it hit Texas and flooded part of the Lone Star State.
But, it's also impacting hundreds of thousands of people across the country in the form of gas prices.
Drivers are seeing those prices rise by about 24 cents a gallon across the country. Experts said that's because about 25 percent of all the refining capacities were offline when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.
John Quigley with Harrisburg University said, "This situation is likely to go on for at least a few more weeks. Worst case scenario maybe even a couple of months."
During that time gas prices could rise another 15-20 cents a gallon.
"So it's a big impact on the energy market in the country," he said.
Quigley is the director of the Center for Environment, Energy and Economy at Harrisburg University. He also served as the state's Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.
The professor said Hurricane Harvey made such an impact because it intensified when it passed over historically warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
"The idea that they're becoming more severe because of climate change should make us all think about what kind of public policies are needed to protect us in the future. We need to reduce our carbon emissions in the country. We need to think about energy efficiency," Quigley said.
In the short term, prices will likely go back down as we recover from the hurricane.
"But we're still going to pay more at the pump for a while," he said.