Need a fillup? Gas prices may be climbing again
Been thinking about filling ’er up? You might want to make that a priority today — gas prices are probably going to inch back up.
“Gas prices could inch a little higher this week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. “Refineries are running on all cylinders, cutting into excess crude stocks. That helped push oil prices higher last week, which puts upward pressure on prices at the pump. The increase on the retail-side may only amount to as much as 5 cents by the end of the week. While this could be the start of a gradual uptick in gas prices, drivers are likely to continue saving at the pump compared to what they paid earlier this year.”
In the Bradenton-Sarasota area, prices averaged $2.06 a gallon to start the week, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 308 area gas outlets.This compares with the national average of $2.24 a gallon.
Still, Bradenton-Sarasota prices are 1.5 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago, and are 15.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 5 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 3.3 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago, according to GasBuddy.com.
Statewide in Florida, gas prices averaged $2.14 a gallon, down 0.9 cents per gallon from last week’s $2.15 a gallon. The most expensive gas price averages in Florida are in West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($2.24), Pensacola ($2.23), and Miami ($2.22). The least expensive gas price averages in Florida are in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ($2.01).
“As expected, gasoline prices over the last week were mixed. While the national average edged lower by a couple cents nearing its lowest of the summer, 20 states saw average prices move higher, two states saw prices little changed, while 28 saw average prices decline,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.
This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Need a fillup? Gas prices may be climbing again."