Press release from AAA:
Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.04, down one cent from last Monday. One year ago, the price was $1.96. The New York State average is $3.07 – up one cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.18. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:
- Batavia -- $3 (up 4 cents since last week)
- Buffalo- - $3 (up 4 cents since last week)
- Ithaca -- $3 (up 2 cents since last week)
- Rochester -- $3.02 (up 3 cents since last week)
- Rome -- $3.09 (up 2 cents since last week)
- Syracuse -- $3.03 (up 3 cents since last week)
- Watertown -- $3.12 (up 5 cents since last week)
*Note: for the markets that just hit $3 a gallon – prices were rounded up – Batavia is $2.996, Buffalo is $2.999, Ithaca is $2.995
After a week of pump price spikes, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is holding steady at $3.04 after a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline that halted its operations and severely constrained the delivery of gasoline along the East Coast and Southeast.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), demand is up while supply is down slightly. With the gasoline distribution system continuing to recover from the attack and grappling with a shortage of gasoline tanker drivers, higher refinery utilization rates will ensure refined products, including gasoline, continue to flow where they are most needed.
Prices may fluctuate this week as we approach Memorial Day weekend. Drivers should fill up now as prices may increase slightly with holiday demand.
From GasBuddy:
"In the lead up to Memorial Day, we haven't seen gas prices come down much, though with oil's recent move lower, we should start to see more drops at the pump materialize in the days ahead," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
"With the Colonial Pipeline situation continuing to improve in Southeastern states, fueling up for the holiday weekend shouldn't be too challenging, save for a few pockets in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, where outages remain a bit higher than neighboring states.
"For those hitting the road, we should see prices inch lower in the coming week through at least Memorial Day, so motorists need not rush to fill their tanks as the drop in oil prices should manifest into lower gas prices as we begin the summer driving season."
