The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose Monday to its highest amount since June 9, increasing four-tenths of a cent to $4.506.
The average price has risen three consecutive days, increasing 2.7 cents, including nine-tenths of a cent Sunday, according to figures from the AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. The increases follow back-to-back decreases totaling four-tenths of a cent.
The average price is 3 cents more than one week ago, 20 cents higher than one month ago and eight-tenths of a cent greater than one year ago. It has dropped $1.867 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.
The national average price rose two-tenths of a cent to $3.199 after back-to-back decreases totaling seven-tenths of a cent, including three-tenths of a cent Sunday.
The national average price is nine-tenths of a cent more than one week ago and 4.3 cents higher than one month ago but 7.4 cents less than one year ago. It has dropped $1.817 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.
“Most of the nation’s 50 states saw gas prices rise over the last week, while some Great Lakes states saw significant relief thanks to the restart of BP’s Whiting, Indiana, refinery after severe weather caused a temporary outage,” 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.
“GasBuddy counts 17 states with average prices below $3 per gallon — fewer than we’ve seen in recent months. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois led the declines, while just a few additional states saw price drops.
“Meanwhile, the West Coast may see continued increases ahead in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Nevada due to seasonal refinery maintenance and the shutdown of a refinery in Southern California, which will keep supply tight. However, with the transition back to winter gasoline just a week away for most areas, those increases may be short-lived, with potential relief arriving toward the end of the month.
“Additionally, OPEC+ announced an increase in oil production starting in October, which could help keep oil prices lower for longer.”
OPEC+ is the Russia-led group of oil producers.