The late December winter storm that slammed much of the country with snow, ice and frigid temperatures caused gas prices to spike, as refineries as far south as Texas and the Gulf Coast were forced to shut down temporarily.
The storm also caused holiday travelers to fuel up and hit the road early to beat the bad weather, leading to a jump in overall gas demand. For the week, the national average for regular unleaded shoots up 12 cents to $3.23.
The Oregon average slips three cents to $3.74.
Gas prices will likely climb a little more before settling down. It will take some time for production to catch up, and for consumers to return to seasonal driving patterns after the holidays,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho. “Oregon and other West Coast states have been relatively insulated from these increases because of our distant location from the impacted refineries.”
2022 will go down as a record year with a national annual average of $3.96 and an Oregon annual average of $4.71. These are the highest annual averages ever.
Oregon is one of only 10 states with lower prices week-over-week. Utah (-7 cents) has the largest weekly drop, followed by Idaho (-4 cents), and Oregon (-3 cents). Delaware (+33 cents) has the largest week-over-week increase, followed by Florida (+30 cents) and Maryland (+25 cents).
Hawaii ($5.03) is the state with the most expensive gas in the nation for the sixth week in a row and is the only state with an average at or above $5 a gallon. California ($4.43) is second. These are the only two states with averages at or above $4 a gallon. This week 33 states and the District of Columbia have averages in the $3-range, and 15 states have averages below $3 a gallon.
The cheapest gas in the nation is in Georgia ($2.78) and Kansas ($2.83). For the 103rd week in a row, no state has an average below $2 a gallon.
The difference between the most expensive and least expensive states is $2.25 which continues to be stark.
Oregon is one of 49 states and the District of Columbia with lower prices now than a month ago. The national average is 20 cents less and the Oregon average is 50 cents less than a month ago. Oregon has the sixth-largest monthly decrease in the nation. Arizona (-56 cents) and Idaho (-54 cents) have the largest monthly declines. Florida (-1 cent) has the smallest. Texas (+6 cents) is the only state with a week-over-week increase.
Oregon is one of 39 states with lower prices now than a year ago. The national average is six cents less and the Oregon average is eight cents more than a year ago. Montana (-41 cents) has the largest year-over-year decline. Hawaii (+70 cents) has the biggest year-over-year rise.
