PENNSYLVANIA – Average retail gasoline prices in Pennsylvania have risen 7.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.51 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,269 gas outlets in Pennsylvania.
This compares with the national average that has increased 12.0 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.42 per gallon, according to gasoline price Web site GasBuddy.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Pennsylvania during the past week, prices yesterday were 111.4 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 29.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago.
The national average has increased 37.4 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 103.8 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.
“The spring spike has hit pumps across the nation, and it certainly has motorists wondering what in the heck is going on,” said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst.
“New records were broken last week in California as prices spiked at their fastest pace ever, even faster than when Chevron’s sprawling Richmond, Calif., refinery caught fire.”
“Meanwhile every single state – all 50 of them – saw a price increase in the last week, with a common theme behind the increases: refinery this, refinery that,” he said.
DeHaan noted that in the last two weeks, a rash of refinery problems has pushed up wholesale prices significantly: an explosion at a California refinery, unexpected cold-related shut downs along the East Coast and Great Lakes and maintenance that are beginning at other refineries across the country. He stated if that wasn’t enough, throw in the transition to cleaner, more costly blends of gasoline and declining gasoline inventories and it’s a bleak picture.
DeHaan said while the massive spikes on the West Coast will likely slow over the next week, “increases will persist country-wide and the general upward trend will likely remain in place for 6-8 more weeks before motorists see declining prices ahead of Memorial Day weekend as maintenance work wraps up and the transition to summer gasoline concludes.”