AAA: Gas prices rise in Pennsylvania

Gas prices are four cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.394 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices in Western Pennsylvania are $4.394 per/gallon.

The average price during the week of May 2, 2022 was $4.355 per/ gallon.

The average price during the week of May 10, 2021 was $3.095 per/gallon.

Trend Analysis: Drivers are paying considerably more at the pump as the cost of gasoline moves steadily higher. In the past two weeks, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has risen 20 cents to $4.32, a penny less than the record high set on March 11 and $1.36 more than a year ago. The increase is primarily due to the high cost of crude oil, which was hovering near $100 a barrel last week and is now closing in on $110. With the cost of oil accounting for more than half of the pump price, more expensive oil means more expensive gasoline. Gas prices also trend higher this time of year as refineries make the switch to summerblend gasoline which is more expensive to make.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.51 to settle at $109.77. Crude prices rose last week after the European Union announced a proposal to ban Russian oil imports within six months, while refined product imports would be prohibited by the end of 2022. The price increases occurred despite continuing COVID lockdowns in China weighing down crude demand and EIA reporting that total domestic crude inventories increased by 1.3 million barrels to 415.7 million barrels. Current crude inventories are still14 percent lower than the storage level at the end of April 2021.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 2.2 million barrels to 228.6 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand increased slightly from 8.74 million barrels per day to 8.86 million barrels per day.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.