Gas prices keep moving upward

Ohio gas prices continue to rise, and industry analysts aren’t sure what comes next.

Consumers paid 20 cents a gallon more Monday than they did a week ago, and a penny more than last year, marking the first time this summer prices equaled or surpassed 2022 summer costs.

Nationally, the average price of a gallon of gas remained higher than the Buckeye State at $3.85 and has remained stable for several days, according to AAA.

“We appear to be at a fork in the road when it comes to which direction gas prices will take — up or down,” said Andrew Gross of the American Automobile Association.

“The summer heat that kept people home and suppressed refinery production has eased for now, so we have to look at the cost of oil to determine if the recent price climb is ending. More expensive oil will likely lead to higher prices, so stay tuned.”

Higher demand, along with a tighter supply, has helped to keep pump prices elevated. If gas demand remains high, alongside increasing oil prices, drivers should brace for increases in pump prices, AAA said in a release.

Ohio’s average for regular unleaded Monday came in at $3.64, up from $3.44 last week and $3.33 last month. At the same time last year, state motorists paid $3.63 a gallon.

The highest recorded average price in the state was $5.07 on June 9, 2022.

Pockets of lower averages are in counties along the Ohio River near West Virginia and along the Ohio-Indiana border.

The highest averages are in central Ohio in Columbus and the city’s suburbs, along with Cincinnati and the central counties along Lake Erie.