The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County was unchanged Sunday, remaining at $4.098 after rising 23 of the past 26 days.
The average price rose 13.2 cents over the previous 26 days, including two-tenths of a cent both Friday and Saturday, to its highest amount since Oct. 21, 2019, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.
The average price is 1.3 cents higher than one week ago, 14 cents more than one month ago and $1.288 greater than a year ago. It has risen 92.2 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.