Watsonville Gas Prices Hit Record High: Report

WATSONVILLE, CA — If you cringe at the prospect of making a trip to a gas station in Watsonville, you're not alone.

Regular unleaded gas prices hit an all-time high in Santa Cruz County Monday as gas prices continued to climb across the country, according to an analysis by AAA.

The average price for regular unleaded gas in Santa Cruz County was $4.72 per gallon as of Monday. That's up more than a dollar from last year's average of $3.21.

By comparison, the national average was $3.42 per gallon. The Golden State's average was $4.63 per gallon.

Diesel prices in Santa Cruz County hovered below the all-time record of $5.14 per gallon set in 2008, but it was still not cheap to fill up. A gallon of diesel will set you back $4.81 on average, according to AAA. That's up from last year's average of $3.56.

Santa Cruz County's gas prices were higher than those of most California counties but were still lower than those of others in the Bay Area, including San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.

California's gas prices were among the nation's highest, according to AAA.

It's possible that the end of daylight saving time and onset of shorter days could contribute to lower prices, said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross.

"Drivers may head straight home from work to avoid the darkness rather than tack on side trips for shopping or errands," he said in a statement.

See how other California counties stacked up in AAA's analysis.