The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose 1 cent Sunday to $5.555, its fifth consecutive increase.
The average price is 2.4 cents more than one week ago, 6 cents more than one month ago and $1.16 more than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has increased $1.004 since the start of the joint U.S./Israel attack on Iran on Feb. 28, which sent oil prices higher and drastically accelerated increases at the gas pump.
The national average price dropped four-tenths of a cent to $4.098, its second consecutive slight decrease after four straight increases. It is 3.3 cents more than one week ago, seven-tenths of a cent more than one month ago and 94.9 cents more than one year ago. It has increased $1.16 since the attack on Iran.
The national average price is at its highest amount this late in the calendar year, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations.