Easter Travel 2019: Worst Travel Times, Gas Prices In DC Region

WASHINGTON, DC—The Easter holiday may not pack the roads like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Fourth of July in the DC region. But for those who are traveling, gas prices are known to rise in April.

April claims the second highest monthly gas price hike based on historical data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The national average rose to $2.83 per gallon on Wednesday, April 17, an increase of nearly 30 cents from a month ago, according to AAA gas prices. In California, the average price has reached $4.01.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says gas price increases can be attributed to "unexpected and planned maintenance at refineries making the transition from winter blends of gasoline to summer blends, coupled with tightening gasoline stocks."

The average prices are $2.583 for Virginia and $2.922 for DC, but that price varies by area. Despite the recent jump, gas prices are not much different from this time last year—$2.543 in Virginia and $2.860 in DC.

Below are the highest average prices by jurisdiction as reported by AAA:

• District of Columbia: $2.922
• Alexandria: $2.853
• Fairfax City: $2.818
• Arlington: $2.811
• Fairfax: $2.806
• Falls Church City: $2.755
• Loudoun: $2.719
• Bath: $2.674
• Clarke: $2.666
• Frederick: $2.654
• Manassas City: $2.654
• Prince William County: $2.650
• Winchester City: $2.643
• James City: $2.643
• Rockbridge: $2.619
• Shenandoah: $2.613
• Virginia Beach: $2.612
• Richmond: $2.603

To find gas prices around you, visit www.gasbuddy.com and type in your city or zip code.

Easter Travel in a Nutshell

When combining Easter and spring break trips, 45 million Americans are taking family trips this season, according to AAA Mid Atlantic. Holy Week, or the week leading up to Easter, coincides with spring break for numerous school districts, including Fairfax County, DC, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Alexandria and Arlington County.

For those heading out on the roads, AAA estimates the worst travel time will be Thursday, April 18 from 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. The best time to leave is before noon on Thursday. Families are also expected to travel in numbers on Sunday, April 21, so Monday is an ideal travel day for families with flexible schedules.

Some 20 million people will travel by plane during Holy Week. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimated it would screen around 107 million people at airports between March 14 and April 28. AAA says the busiest air travel time heading back to DC will be Sunday evening.