Not to rain on your Christmas hopes, but it appears the nation’s gasoline prices are rebounding.
Not by much, but enough to give AAA suspicions that Scrooge is still around.
Oklahoma’s average gasoline prices jumped by one cent in the past week while nationally, the average grew by six cents to $3.12 per gallon, this after falling to a Dec. 18 low of $3.06. It’s the first increase of the national average since September.
“Yukon Cornelius knows that Bumbles bounce, and evidently, so do gas prices,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Daily gas prices will likely move back and forth for the next month or so. Looking back at pre-pandemic 2019, the national average did not make a firm turn to moving higher daily until Valentine’s Day, February 14.”
Oklahoma’s average price was $2.68 at mid-week, up from the $2.67 reported last week, but still a dime cheaper than a month ago.
Prices in Oklahoma City jumped 5 cents over the past week, reaching $2.65 per gallon, but also 8 cents lower than a month earliler. Prices in Tulsa averaged $2.57, down a penny from last week and 5 cents lower than one month ago.
The highest averages in Oklahoma are in a clusster of 7 counties in the southeast, with Coal County topping the list at $3.50 a gallon and nearby Pushmataha County averaging $3.01 per gallon.
A few counties in the northwest also recorded high averages with Ellis County leading at $3.09 per gallon.
The lowest average in the state is $2.53 per gallon in Tillman County in the southwest.
Drivers who might have plans for out-of-state destinations will want to bear in mind the averages of adjacent states. The average in Kansas is $272, Colorado at $2.80, New Mexico at $2.990, Texas at $2.67, Arkansas at $2.68 and Missouri at $2.69.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand dipped slightly from 8.86 to 8.75 million b/d last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased slightly by 2.7 million bbl to 226.7 million bbl. Robust gas demand and elevated oil prices have jolted pump prices as the US enters winter. With drivers heading to their holiday destinations, they may continue to see pump prices fluctuate slightly during this heavy travel season.
Today’s national average of $3.12 is two cents more than a week ago, 17 cents less than a month ago, and two cents more than a year ago.
- Since last Thursday, these 10 states have seen the largest changes in their averages: Florida (+16 cents), Texas (+11 cents), Idaho (−10 cents), Delaware (+9 cents), South Carolina (+9 cents), Illinois (−9 cents), Nevada (−8 cents), California (−8 cents), Colorado (+7 cents) and West Virginia (−7 cents).
- The nation’s top 10 most expensive markets: Hawaii ($4.68), California ($4.57), Washington ($4.17), Nevada ($3.89), Oregon ($3.82), Alaska ($3.72), Pennsylvania ($3.43), New York ($3.39), Vermont ($3.33) and Idaho ($3.28).
Source: AAA