Gas prices skyrocket! May 15, 2013 The Holiday station at the intersection of Highway 371 and Excelsior Drive in Baxter shows the price of unleaded gas at $4.15 Wednesday, reflecting the rising price of gas across the state. For more photos go to spotted.brainerddispatch.com.
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Gas prices shot up past $4 in the Brainerd lakes area Wednesday, hitting that threshold where many motorists blanch at the sticker shock on the pump.
Gail Weinholzer of AAA said reduced capacity due to closures of two large refineries in Chicago was the main culprit in the price surge.
And surge it did. Gas prices rose by as much as 30
cents Wednesday.
The last time gas prices of $4 were common was in June of 2008, during some of the darkest days of the Great Recession. The average prices during that June five years ago topped out at $3.99.
Weinholzer said the high gas prices could hang around until July.
That’s not likely to be welcome news for anyone with a sizable commute, those who drive for work, or businesses transporting goods or those who may see consumers cut back as they see their gasoline bills rise.
Michael Green of AAA reported Monday the national average gas price for regular unleaded was $3.58, which represented an increase of six cents from the previous week. It represented the largest weekly increase since February.
“Gas prices at this time last year were falling consistently and would eventually decline 82 out of 87 days for a total of 61 cents from April 6 to July 2,” Green wrote in the AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report. “By comparison, the national average this year has increased for eight straight days to the highest price in more than a month.”
Prices around the Brainerd and Baxter area ranged from $3.79 to $4.19 Wednesday.
Monday AAA reported the top 10 most expensive state averages for gasoline. The list started with Hawaii at $4.35, California and Alaska at $4.04. Minnesota was ranked seventh with a price of $3.84. North Dakota was ranked ninth at $3.78.
The top 10 list included perhaps expected states of Hawaii and Alaska, along with the West Coast, besides Minnesota and North Dakota, the other states were Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
On Monday the national average was 21 cents below the then peak 2013 price of $3.79 on Feb. 27.
In 2011, AAA reported the national average for regular unleaded gasoline peaked at $3.98 on May 5. In 2012, the price peaked at $3.94 on April 5 and 6.
“While higher crude oil prices have put upward pressure on retail gasoline prices across the country, it has been tight supplies and refinery maintenance — both planned and unplanned — in Midcontinent and West Coast that has squeezed prices substantially higher for drivers in those regions,” Green stated.
The Holiday station at the intersection of Highway 371 and Excelsior Drive in Baxter shows the price of unleaded gas at $4.15 Wednesday, reflecting the rising price of gas across the state.