Gas Prices Still Unseasonably Low Despite Uptick

CARS.COM — Pump prices were stable in most of the country the past week, and the national average for regular gasoline rose by just a penny. Still, motorists in the Great Lakes saw double-digit increases.

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The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said Thursday that the national average for regular was $2.30 a gallon, 1 cent higher than both a week and a month ago. Premium gas, at $2.82, also was a penny more than a week or month ago. Diesel fuel fell by a penny the past week to $2.50 and is 2 cents cheaper than a month ago.

But in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, motorists were hit with price hikes. Regular rose by 11 cents the past week in Indiana and Michigan, to $2.31 and $2.43, respectively, and by 14 cents in Ohio to $2.31. Over the past two weeks, regular climbed 19 cents in Indiana and 20 cents in Ohio.

Here’s what’s going on with gas prices elsewhere in the U.S.:

• The cheapest gas was in the Southeast, led by South Carolina at $2.02, Tennessee at $2.04 and Alabama at $2.05.
• Hawaii had the most expensive gas with an average price of $3.05, followed by California, $2.97, and Washington, $2.84.

The Great Lakes area typically is the most volatile for prices, so double-digit swings over a couple of weeks are common. AAA reported earlier in the week that distributors were clearing out winter gasoline blends to make room for summer blends that are more expensive to produce and command higher prices.