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Gasoline prices have topped $3 a gallon in parts of California and Hawaii, and may hit that level elsewhere in the country as the busy summer driving season approaches.
Crude-oil prices were low throughout December because of unseasonably warm weather throughout much of the country. But crude, which makes up about half the price of gasoline, is back above $60 a barrel. Additionally, higher demand, refinery maintenance and fears about springtime shortages are driving up prices.
"It kills me," said Gloria Nunez, 53, as she filled her Ford Explorer SUV at a San Jose, Calif., gas station. Nunez, a clerk for a communications company, has started working a couple hours of overtime each week to help soften the blow.
"All of a sudden you kind of have to watch your pennies," Nunez said.
Analysts say drivers should brace for more increases in the coming weeks.
"The West Coast will certainly be the wild, wild West this year," said Tom Kloza, the chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service.
Extensive maintenance work at West Coast refineries has curtailed supplies and exacerbated the typical "preseason rally" spurred by jitters about tight supplies.
"In the rest of the country, it's just petro-noia. They're worried that they won't have enough gasoline," Kloza said. "But on the West Coast the concern might be warranted."
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Still below historic highs
Barring a major disruption in supply, it's unlikely other parts of the country will see $3 gasoline before summer, analysts said. Average fuel prices are still below their historical highs -- most of which were set in 2006 -- but have begun to climb weeks earlier than usual.- Video: The gas-crude conundrum
According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, prices nationwide have risen about 32 cents in the past month. Utah and Wyoming reported the cheapest regular gasoline prices, at less than $2.30 a gallon. Regular gas was well above $3 in Northern California, hitting $3.12 in San Francisco.
The record nationwide average is $3.05 a gallon, set just after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. Prices came within pennies of those levels last summer as well.
| State | Regular | Premium | Diesel | State | Regular | Premium | Diesel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$2.35 | $2.63 | $2.75 | $2.35 | $2.57 | $2.76 | ||
$2.40 | $2.65 | $2.58 | $2.47 | $2.74 | $2.65 | ||
$2.40 | $2.70 | $2.58 | $2.51 | $2.69 | $2.79 | ||
$2.50 | $2.76 | $2.80 | $2.56 | $2.69 | $2.73 | ||
$2.96 | $3.21 | $3.06 | $2.46 | $2.76 | $2.66 | ||
$2.46 | $2.75 | $2.75 | $2.38 | $2.65 | $2.55 | ||
$2.66 | $2.96 | $2.82 | $2.47 | $2.74 | $2.86 | ||
$2.51 | $2.75 | $2.86 | $2.67 | $2.91 | $2.84 | ||
$2.47 | $2.74 | $2.70 | $2.69 | $2.93 | $2.87 | ||
$2.55 | $2.82 | $2.72 | $2.46 | $2.73 | $2.70 | ||
$2.41 | $2.71 | $2.62 | $2.39 | $2.61 | $2.56 | ||
$2.87 | $3.09 | $3.45 | $2.64 | $2.83 | $2.72 | ||
$2.46 | $2.71 | $2.67 | $2.56 | $2.82 | $2.76 | ||
$2.32 | $2.52 | $2.78 | $2.54 | $2.79 | $2.75 | ||
$2.54 | $2.81 | $2.78 | $2.35 | $2.62 | $2.53 | ||
$2.47 | $2.73 | $2.69 | $2.46 | $2.72 | $2.72 | ||
$2.47 | $2.63 | $2.70 | $2.37 | $2.63 | $2.55 | ||
$2.42 | $2.71 | $2.57 | $2.38 | $2.61 | $2.60 | ||
$2.41 | $2.69 | $2.60 | $2.26 | $2.49 | $2.75 | ||
$2.49 | $2.77 | $2.70 | $2.39 | $2.60 | $2.61 | ||
$2.48 | $2.71 | $2.70 | $2.53 | $2.84 | $2.79 | ||
$2.58 | $2.86 | $2.74 | $2.63 | $2.86 | $2.85 | ||
$2.51 | $2.77 | $2.73 | $2.56 | $2.78 | $2.76 | ||
$2.45 | $2.62 | $2.72 | $2.56 | $2.81 | $2.75 | ||
$2.37 | $2.61 | $2.57 | $2.28 | $2.53 | $2.69 | ||
$2.39 | $2.63 | $2.53 | $2.51 | $2.76 | $2.70 |
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