HOUSTON – The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released a new tool that allows users to track possible disruptions caused by tropical storms and hurricanes, Energy Wire reports.

The tool should prove useful to energy producers, who can access data from historical incidents as well as an interactive map that shows the track of past and current storms and how they relate to U.S. energy infrastructure.

All energy-related facilities and their locations are shown, including natural gas, coal, nuclear and geothermal power plants, refineries, oil import terminals, and liquefied natural gas import and export terminals. Renewable energy generating centers, solar and wind power, are also included.

The service "allows industry, energy analysts, government decision makers, and the American public to better see and understand the potential impact of a storm," the EIA said in a release. 

The tool’s arrival is timely, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that the summer’s first storm likely to reach the continental U.S., Tropical Storm Chantal, is approaching.

"Right now, the public can see the current predicted path of tropical storm Chantal, moving from the Caribbean's Leeward Islands toward the Atlantic coast of Florida," the EIA said. "As the National Hurricane Center revises its predictions, the maps will be instantly updated."