Cold weather, refinery issues push national gas prices higher; Pa. largely unchanged

Average gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area and across Pennsylvania are unchanged or slightly down in the last week, while the national average has seen an increase, according to AAA and price-tracking service GasBuddy.

“For the first time in two months, the nation’s average price of gasoline rose sharply last week, as extremely cold weather led to many refinery issues, shutting down over a million barrels of refining capacity, pushing wholesale prices up,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

“In addition, China’s reopening plans gave markets inspiration that global oil demand will start to recover, as China’s nearly three year Covid-zero policies appear to be coming to an end,” he said.

According to AAA, the national average has increased about 12 cents per gallon in the last week, from $3.10 to $3.22. But it’s about 23 cents per gallon less than a month ago, and 7 cents less than a year ago.

In Pennsylvania, AAA reports the average at $3.63 per gallon. That’s about 3 cents more than a week ago, 28 cents less than a month ago, and about 10 cents more than a year ago.

County averages in the Pittsburgh area on Monday, according to AAA:

• Allegheny: $3.70

• Armstrong: $3.76

• Beaver: $3.68

• Butler: $3.71

• Washington: $3.69

• Westmoreland: $3.72

GasBuddy reports the average in the Pittsburgh area at $3.68 per gallon, down 0.7 cents from last week, based on its survey of 731 stations in the area. That’s 21.5 cents per gallon less than a month ago, but 17.7 cents more than a year ago.

Prices in the Pittsburgh area range from $3.19 up to $3.99, a difference of 80 cents per gallon, GasBuddy reported. Statewide, prices ranged from $3.07 up to $4.19, a difference of $1.12 per gallon.

Neighboring areas and their current prices, according to GasBuddy:

• Akron: $3.26 per gallon, up 33.2 cents from last week.

• Cleveland: $3.24 per gallon, up 30.6 cents from last week.

• West Virginia: $3.04 per gallon, up 1.3 cents from last week.

“While the jump at the pump will likely be temporary as most refiners get back online after cold-weather related issues, some regions like the Rockies may see more price increases than others as cold-weather shutdowns hit the region fairly hard, with one refinery likely remaining down through the first quarter of 2023,” De Haan said. “Most areas have seen the bulk of the rise already hit, but should oil continue to rally, more increases could be on the way.”

GasBuddy reported the national average price of diesel at $4.67 per gallon, down 1.4 cents in the last week.