The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose 5.6 cents Sunday to $5.221, one day after shooting up 17.5 cents for its largest one-day increase since the record 19.2-cent spike of Oct. 5, 2012.
The Los Angeles County average price is the highest it’s been since May 15, 2024. It is 52.7 cents more than one week ago, 70.5 cents more than one month ago and 51.3 cents more than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.273 since rising to a record $6.494 on Oct. 5, 2022.
The Orange County average price rose 5.8 cents to $5.211, one day after rising 17.7 cents for its largest increase since a record 19.5-cent spike on Oct. 5, 2012. The Orange County average price is the highest it’s been since May 7, 2024, and is 56.5 cents more than one week ago, 77.7 cents more than one month ago and 54.5 cents more than one year ago. It has dropped $1.248 since rising to a record $6.459 on Oct. 5, 2022.
Prices were rising slightly in line with seasonal norms before the joint U.S./Israel attack on Iran on Feb. 28 sent oil prices higher and drastically accelerated increases at the gas pump.
“It’s unknown how long these price spikes will last or how high prices will climb — that will all depend on how long oil supplies remain disrupted,” Kandace Redd, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s senior public affairs specialist, said in a statement released Thursday. “Oil prices have increased by about $10 a barrel since last weekend,” she added.
The national average price rose 3.7 cents to $3.45, its highest amount since Aug. 10, 2024. The national average price is 46.6 cents more than one week ago, 55.3 cents more than one month ago and 35.5 cents more than one year ago. It has dropped $1.566 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.
“The conflict in the Middle East has sent crude oil prices higher to the mid $70/barrel range … Springtime typically sees higher gas prices as gasoline demand rises and summer-blend gasoline production begins. The last time the national average made a similar weekly jump was back in March of 2022 during the start of the Russia/Ukraine conflict,” the AAA said Thursday.