The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose a half-cent Saturday to $4.08, its highest amount since Oct. 22, 2019, after dropping slightly two of the previous three days.
The average price dropped two-tenths of a cent on Friday and one-tenth of a cent Wednesday after rising 15 consecutive days, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 2.4 cents higher than one week ago, 15.8 cents more than one month ago and $1.353 greater than one year ago.
The average price has risen 90.4 cents since the start of the year, mainly because of a run of 82 increases in 84 days totaling 70.4 cents that ended March 30.
The large price increase from one year ago is the result of a significant decrease during the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic, when driving and demand dropped substantially because of stay-at-home orders intended to reduce the spread of the virus. The difference from two years ago is far less dramatic: The Riverside County average price is 7.7 cents more than it was on May 15, 2019.