US distillate fuel oil inventories, including diesel and heating oil, fell to 103.4 million barrels for the week ending August 21, 2026, the lowest seasonal level since the Energy Information Administration (US energy statistics agency) began tracking the data in the early 1980s. Stocks declined by approximately 2.2 million barrels from the previous week and stood roughly 14% below the five-year seasonal average. Diesel retail prices were already above $5.60 per gallon. Exports recently reached nearly 1.9 million barrels per day, a record that has reduced supplies available for domestic reserves as geopolitical disruptions make US diesel more attractive to overseas buyers. The risk is increasing as heating oil demand typically rises in the fall and winter, while farmers enter the diesel-intensive harvest season. Tight supplies could raise transport, manufacturing and consumer costs, increase heating bills in oil-dependent parts of New England and prompt debate over export restrictions or emergency reserves. About six to eight weeks remain before heating-season demand begins in earnest, leaving limited time to rebuild inventories.