Arizona sees 20-cent jump at the pump in a week; experts say weather could make it worse

Fernando Cervantes Jr., Arizona Republic
·3 min read
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Although gas prices in parts of the United States continue to steadily remain under $4 a gallon, Arizona continues to lead the nation in prices, with the average price of a gallon of gas in the Grand Canyon state blowing past the $4 mark.

On Thursday, Arizona was among one of the states with the highest average gas prices in the nation with an average price of $4.19. The state also saw the highest weekly increase in prices seeing a 20-cent jump.

Arizonans are also paying more at the pump than the average American — more than 30 cents a gallon to be exact.

Thursday saw the national average price increase by 5 cents compared to last week, moving from $3.82 to $3.87, according to AAA. The current average is an already large leap from last month when gas prices were 30 cents cheaper across the United States.

These increases may only be the start, as various weather developments across the United States might further push prices, according to Andrew Gross, a AAA spokesperson.

“The heat is returning, and we are also entering the heart of hurricane season,” Gross said. “While fewer drivers are fueling up at the moment, these looming weather concerns are a roadblock to falling pump prices. Gas Prices may keep waffling until mid-September or longer.”

Why are gas prices so high?

AAA's weekly report registered a 2-cent increase from Wednesday, a 20-cent increase from last week and a more than 43-cent increase from gas prices a month ago.

Demand across the country has fallen, but with a volatile oil market, prices have remained elevated. According to data from the Energy Information Administration demand fell from 9.30 to 8.85 b/d during the last week.

Head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, Patrick De Haan believes that prices are only going to get higher.

“It could climb slightly higher as we get closer to Labor Day, as oil prices remain under pressure from recent OPEC+ production cuts,” De Haan said. “While July CPI data looked pretty good with energy prices well below their year-ago level, August data isn’t going to look nearly as friendly.

In a ranking of the 10 most expensive cities, seven cities in Arizona made the list, with the top five solely Valley cities.

Most of the Valley cities on the list saw an increase of about 30 cents per gallon compared to last week, Peoria, Mesa, Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale were all on the list.

Top 10: Which states are paying the most for gas?

  • California: $5.18

  • Washington: $5.03

  • Hawaii: $4.79

  • Oregon: $4.69

  • Alaska: $4.49

  • Nevada: $4.42

  • Utah: $4.23

  • Arizona: $4.19

  • Illinois: $4.17

  • Idaho: $4.10

County-by-county breakdown

Pinal and Maricopa County which make up the area of the Valley have the most expensive gas prices in Arizona. Here is a breakdown of gas prices by county:

  • Coconino: $4.03

  • Yavapai: $3.96

  • Santa Cruz: $4.07

  • Maricopa: $4.45

  • Mohave: $4.03

  • Navajo: $3.82

  • Apache: $3.89

  • Yuma: $3.82

  • La Paz: $3.93

  • Pinal: $4.24

  • Gila: $3.81

  • Pima: $3.88

  • Cochise: $3.73

  • Greenlee: $3.68

  • Graham: $3.69

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gas prices in AZ continue to increase; weather could make it worse