Community Corner
Gas Prices Jump In GA Due To Winter Weather: Here's How Much
Winter weather forced refineries to shut down, which sent gas prices jumping. Here's how much more Georgia drivers are paying at the pump.
ATLANTA, GA— Drivers in Georgia and around the U.S. are seeing spikes in gasoline prices at the pump this week. Recent winter weather shutdowns at refineries in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kansas have led to double-digit increases in prices for two-thirds of states, according to the AAA.
"When close to 40 [percent] of U.S. crude production is offline because refineries are closed, there is going to be pain at the pump until operations resume," said Jeanette Casselano McGee, AAA spokesperson. "The good news is the nearly two dozen impacted refiners are expected to restart operations this week, if they haven't already. That means regular gasoline deliveries will resume and impacted stations will be re-fueled."
In the past week, 66 percent of states in the U.S. — including Georgia — saw a jump in gas prices between 10-22 cents, according to AAA.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As of Feb. 24, a gallon of regular gas averaged $2.54 in Georgia, about 20 cents higher than the average reported a week ago and 30 cents higher than one month ago. Despite the price jump, however, Peach State drivers still pay below the $2.66 national average for gas.
This past week, the largest price spikes reported were in Ohio by 22 cents, Arizona by 21 cents, Iowa by 21 cents, Minnesota y 18 cents, Georgia by 18 cents, Michigan by 17 cents, Wisconsin by 16 cents, Nebraska by 16 cents, Indiana by 16 cents and Maryland by 15 cents, AAA said.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The current average per gallon in the Atlanta metro closely mirrors the state's, averaging $2.57 per gallon. That is 33 cents higher than average prices recorded a month ago in the metro region, according to AAA data.
Top ten cheapest gas markets in the U.S. this week, according to AAA:
- Mississippi — $2.27
- Louisiana — $2.31
- Texas — $2.32
- Alabama - $2.35
- Oklahoma — $2.36
- Utah — $2.38
- Missouri — $2.38
- Tennessee — $2.40
- South Carolina — $2.42
You can keep up with AAA's gas prices for Georgia here.
Patch Editor Kimberly Johnson contributed to this article.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
