Local Gas Prices Jump Overnight As Holiday Approaches

CHICAGO, IL — If you checked local gas-station signs on your way to work this morning, you may have noticed the price for a gallon jumped about 25 cents — higher in some locales — overnight ahead of the Easter holiday weekend.

Gas generally is going for $2.10 to $2.46 a gallon across the Chicago metro area today, with an average of $2.21 a gallon. If you're lucky, you'll find one of the very few spots selling for $1.83.

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Six weeks ago, local gas prices hit a 12-year low. A gallon of regular unleaded gas was selling for as low $1.39 a gallon. The Chicago area had the second-lowest average price in the country at that time, and some giddy gasoline observers predicted the price of a gallon could drop this spring to 99 cents.

Hah.

The Illinois state average is now at $1.97 a gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Five years ago this spring, we were paying $4.31 a gallon.

Hitting the road for the holiday weekend?

Use the Patch Travel Kit to stay abreast of what's happening on the highways, byways and railways throughout the Chicago area.

» REAL-TIME CHICAGO-AREA TRAFFIC AND ROAD-CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

HOW TO SEARCH FOR LOCAL GAS PRICES: Click the magnifying glass in the right corner of the graphic, type your ZIP code or town and state, then hit return.