Will California hit $6 gas prices this summer? Here’s the latest trend as summer nears

California gas prices can’t seem to catch a break, despite the national average prices teetering down.

According to the American Automobile Association, the national average price for regular fuel is about $3.57 — a few cents down from $3.61 from one month ago.

California, however, is on a slow rise.

The current average for regular fuel is around $4.87, which is up from the $4.81 average last week. It nearly matches averages from early May.

Almost this time last year, gas prices in California soared to a record high, reaching $6.43 for regular unleaded gas on June 14. For weeks, residents were shelling out more than $6 for a gallon.

But prices most likely won’t look like that this year.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said that prices typically peak at the start of the summer, rather than in the middle of the season, because of the switch to cleaner burning gasoline and maintenance at refineries.

“It’s just extremely unlikely that prices would hit $6 this summer,” he said. “It is possible though that we hit $5 a gallon, but I would think that would be temporary.”

He added that there are possibilities that prices will peak if there are refinery disruptions.

What are prices looking like in California?

Prices are going up, after experiencing a small dip in June.

California vs. the rest of the country

California might have a high price tag on gas, but it’s not alone.

Washington, Arizona and Hawaii are also charging a lot for a gallon of regular fuel.

Gas prices in your county

Mono County has one of the highest prices for regular fuel with $5.85 per gallon, followed by Humboldt at $5.42.

See the rest of California counties:

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