This week, panic buying at gas stations across the East Coast following a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline has led to empty gas stations and created long lines at stations with fuel. Officials in the D.C. region have warned drivers not to panic-buy gasoline or to store it in containers other than gas canisters.

But on Friday, even as gas demand eased up and the percentage of stations without gasoline dropped along the coast, outages in D.C. had only gotten worse.

By Friday at 12 p.m., the District was the hardest-hit location — 88% of its stations were without gas, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan. In Maryland and Virginia, 39% and 45% of stations were without gas, respectively.

The numbers represent staggering jumps from Wednesday, when just 8% of stations in D.C., 4% in Maryland, and 17% of Virginia stations had run dry — though, the percentages in Virginia and Maryland were dropping by Friday afternoon, per GasBuddy.

https://twitter.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/1393189335176986624

But relief should come soon: Colonial Pipeline said Thursday evening that it had restored its entire pipeline system and that its delivery service has “commenced to all markets we serve.”

The company, which supplies about 45% of all gas on the East Coast, temporarily shut down after a crime group called the DarkSide hacked its systems, the FBI said this week.

Locally, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency. Maryland’s Department of Transportation was allowed emergency waivers to help alleviate the state’s gas disruptions.

Christopher Rodriguez, director of D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in an emailed statement to DCist that the District is experiencing limited gasoline availability following cyber attacks on the Colonial Pipeline Company earlier this week.

“We urge residents to drive for essential trips only, use public transportation—including the free DC Circulator when possible—and schedule errands close together,” Rodriguez said. “Colonial Pipeline reports that although outages are expected to come down this weekend, some may persist as the delivery supply chain returns to normal. Residents can check gas supply by visiting gasbuddy.com.”

“Station pumps will be full of fuel in several days,” AAA spokeswoman Jeanette McGee told NPR Thursday. “This is an especially good update ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.”

According to AAA, the national average for gas prices rose to $3.039 per gallon on Friday. In the District, the average gas price hit $3.153. (This week, the national average surpassed $3 a gallon for the first time since 2014.)

McGee also told NPR that the spikes in prices will drop in the coming days, as trucking companies expedite the shipments of gasoline to stations.

“It’s a little sluggish out there. If you don’t need it, delay your purchases,” De Haan told WTOP of the regional outages. “The fuel’s flowing. But stations are having a tough time keeping up. Trucks are all over the place making deliveries. But again, if you don’t need fuel, try and delay it. Prices actually should go down a few cents over the next week.”

This story has been updated with comment from the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and to clarify language about disruptions to local gas stations’ fuel availabilities.