Higher Gas Prices In Nation, California Expected To Drop Soon

GILROY, CA -- Hang tight because relief may be on its way. More than a full cent per gallon greater compared to the U.S. average, California's gas prices have kept pace with the recent rise - with San Francisco Bay Area gas stations from Gilroy north to Healdsburg seeing higher pump prices.

Beyond changing over to the summer fuel mix, California stations have felt a pinch from refinery problems - with a fire at the Phillips 66 plant and repairs made on its emissions scrubber at the Valero location, state Energy Commission Senior Fuels Specialist Gordon Schremp told Patch.

Schremp said he's not surprised by the rising prices, which are expected to drop once the switch to the new seasonal fuel is completed and if the inventory stays strong.

"The good news in all this is the inventory levels remain high," he said.

Still, California prices are 28 cents higher than a year ago - following similar trends in other parts of the country despite concerns of flooding in the Midwest. Plus, the reduced rail transport of ethanol "is tightening supplies" for that region, Schremp indicated.

In the last week, U.S. prices rose 4.7 cents for a gallon of regular unleaded, sparking economists' interests, according to AAA. They went up twice as much in the Golden State by an additional 11.4 cents.

For those who pay attention to such things when they pull up to the pump, prices in the last month were more telling with national averages bumped up by 27 cents from March to April. Still, U.S. prices are situated about where they were a year ago at this time. The highest rate was $4.11 per gallon on July 11 of last year.

In the West, California's average gas price has risen to 33.2 cents higher than a month ago.

The rising prices have subsided and are expected to continue on their slight downward slide given no catastrophe occurs.

"So prices are still rising, but that increase is slowing down," Energy Commission spokeswoman Melissa Jones-Ferguson said.

Some Bay Area stations traditionally charge some of the highest gas prices in the nation. As of Tuesday, three stations in Gilroy posted $3.60, $3.66 and $3.70 from City Gas, Mobil and 76, respectively. North to the far end of Sonoma County, Healdsburg stations came in as $3.60, $3.70 and $3.80 at Rotten Robbie, Fast Lane and Chevron, respectively.

To the southern part of the state, AAA reported Tuesday the average in Orange County at $3.64, up by 12 cents from last year. As an average in the Greater Los Angeles Basin including the cities of L.A. and Long Beach, the price sits at $3.69 - also 12 cents more than the prior year.

AAA's national average as of Tuesday sits at $2.69 per gallon, while California's is $3.62.

More on that can be found at https://gasprices.aaa.com/.