Columbus gas prices drop slightly after a big jump the previous week
COLUMBUS (WCMH) – While most motorists throughout the county saw rising gas costs, Columbus and most areas throughout Ohio saw a modest dip in prices at the pump.
After gas prices jumped nearly a quarter per gallon to begin the month of March, the cost for a gallon of gas dipped slightly, 4.5 cents, to $3.41 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations. The current price is 24.2 cents per gallon higher than one month ago and 3.0 cents higher than this time one year ago.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $3.09 a gallon, while the most expensive was $3.74, a difference of 65 cents per gallon. In Ohio, the average price of gas also trickled down by 1.2 cents from one week ago, averaging out at $3.34, while nationally, gas prices rose 6.2 cents to $3.40 per gallon.
According to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, the expected increase is standard as spring approaches.
“Much of the seasonal rise that happens this time of year is a culmination of refinery maintenance, the switch to summer gasoline, and rising demand.,” De Haan said. “However, the changeover is still in process, so while we'll likely see the continuation of upward pressure on prices, improvement in output could slow that pressure down some."