(The Center Square) – In Michigan, center of the U.S. auto manufacturing, just a week can make a dime’s worth of difference in the price of a gallon of gas these days.
Michigan’s average gasoline price is $4.21 per gallon, according to GasBuddy, a website that tracks prices nationally.
That is 9.1 cents higher than it was just a week ago and $1.13 higher than a year ago.
The record high for Michigan was $5.21 a gallon in 2022.
Michigan currently has the 20th most expensive gas in the U.S., GasBuddy said.
Prices are rising across the country, topping $4 a gallon for the national average, also more than a dollar from a year ago.
“Average gasoline prices climbed back above $4 per gallon over the last week, with prices rising in slightly more states than they fell, as rebounding oil prices driven by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries kept upward pressure on the market,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at the website, GasBuddy. “While the seasonal transition to cheaper winter-blend gasoline in the coming month could bring some relief, the two dominant challenges facing motorists – the closed Strait and the ongoing refinery strikes – show no signs of resolving anytime soon. Until they do, the path for gas and diesel prices remains tilted to the upside.”
Louisiana, South Carolina and Alabama had the lowest averages with California, ($5.56), Hawaii ($5.43), and Washington with the highest.
The American Automobile Association had a similar outlook for fuel prices.
“Drivers are seeing some relief at the pump as earlier declines in crude oil prices filter through the market,” AAA spokeswoman Montrae Waiters said in a statement. “However, ongoing uncertainty surrounding global oil supplies could shift the trend and put upward pressure on gas prices in the coming weeks.”
