The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose Monday for the 18th time in 19 days, increasing seven-tenths of a cent to $4.353.
The average price has increased 23 cents over the past 19 days, including 1.6 cents on Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It rose six consecutive days, dropped one-tenth of a cent on Jan. 28 and resumed rising the next day.
The average price is 12.7 cents more than one week ago and 22.2 cents higher than one month ago, but 16.5 cents less than one year ago. It has dropped $2.02 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.
The national average price rose a half-cent to $2.902, after back-to-back decreases totaling three-tenths of a cent. It is 2.7 cents more than one week ago and 9.5 cents higher than one month ago, but 23.4 cents less than one year ago.
The national average price has dropped $2.114 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.
Nine of last week’s 10 largest “price movements were increases, led by West Coast states as California begins the transition to summer gasoline,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations, said in a statement released Monday.
“Most states saw relatively minor fluctuations, but we’re now starting to see seasonal trends take hold on the West Coast, with those pressures expected to gradually push eastward in the weeks ahead,” De Haan said.
“Even though oil prices slipped slightly last week amid reduced geopolitical risk, strengthening seasonal factors are likely to intensify, potentially driving the national average back above the $3-per-gallon mark, where prices could remain for at least part of the spring.”