Gas prices hit a record high in California, though costs are expected to drop

Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech
·2 min read
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Story at a glance

  • On Wednesday, gas prices in California reached record highs in some parts.

  • The statewide average reached a staggering $6.49 a gallon.

  • But Californians should expect a reprieve from the ultra-high price of gas, experts say.

Gas prices in some parts of California hit a record high on Wednesday with the cost of gasoline reaching over $8 a gallon in some areas.

But drivers will get a small reprieve from rising gas prices, according to AAA’s Doug Shupe.   
For the first time in a month, the state-wide average price for gasoline dropped in California by half a cent, going from an average of $6.425 to $6.42.

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The average price for gas in the Los Angeles area also dropped a tiny amount and has now gone down to $6.49, according to AAA.

Shupe believes that the price of gas will continue to fall over the next few days.

“I’m hoping that this trend is going to be with us for a little while,” said Shupe, who believes that prices will continue to decline for a few reasons.

First, there are imports of gasoline products expected to arrive within the next few weeks. There is also a fuel winter blend that has been allowed to enter the market earlier than in years past, and should be available to consumers before Nov. 1.

In addition, a number of refineries that went offline for planned and unplanned maintenance will start to come back online, Shupe added.

“So we’re hoping that this is going to help with our fuel inventory crisis and get some more product out there,” he said. “And as the supply increases, we’re hoping that prices will go down.”

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