LOS ANGELES – Gas prices are climbing again as the retail price of gasoline rose nearly 3 cents per gallon nationwide this past week as Middle East violence fueled concerns over supplies of crude oil products, an analyst reported to the Associated Press.
No forecast is available yet as to what the prices are expected to do throughout the winter season as contractors handling snow removal will be fueling their vehicles. An extended period of high prices similar to what hit this summer could mean higher operating costs for the winter season to those contractors.
The average price of gasoline was about $1.61 per gallon on Friday, Oct. 20, up 2.8 cents from two weeks ago, according to the Lundberg Survey of 10,000 gas stations nationwide.
That killed a brief downward trend earlier this month, based on slower fall driving demand, that saw prices dip nearly 3.5 cents per gallon.
The Midwest saw prices jump an average of 10 cents per gallon for self-serve regular gas. The price remained fairly steady on the east coast and actually dipped nearly 2 cents per gallon in the West.
The national weighted average price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-serve pumps Friday was $1.57 per gallon for regular unleaded, $1.67 for mid-grade and $1.75 for premium.
At full-service pumps, the average was $1.88 per gallon for regular unleaded, $1.97 for mid-grade and $2.05 for premium.