Rise in Columbus gas prices wipes out previous decline
COLUMBUS (WCMH) – A recent increase in Columbus gas prices last week has effectively erased two weeks’ worth of decline.
After gas prices dropped nearly 17 cents over the previous two weeks, the cost for a gallon of gas jumped up by 16 cents last week to $3.45 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations.
The current price is 22.8 cents per gallon higher than one month ago and 23.8 cents higher than this time one year ago.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $3.24 a gallon, while the most expensive was $3.71, a difference of 47 cents per gallon. In Ohio, the average price of gas also rose by 20.6 cents from one week ago, averaging out at $3.41, while nationally, gas prices rose 6.4 cents to $3.51 per gallon.
According to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, the rise in cost isn’t unexpected for this time of year, but international influence could impact rising prices even more than usual over the next few weeks.
"What is uncommon is the number of attacks on Russian oil refiners; attacks which could have ripple effects worldwide if they continue…. forcing (Russia) to buy such products on the global market, pushing prices up everywhere,” De Haan said.