BALTIMORE, MD—For the fourth straight week, the nation’s average price of gasoline has gone up, rising 8.7 cents from a week ago to $3.26 per gallon this week according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average is up 16.7 cents from a month ago but 11.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 10.0 cents in the last week and stands at $4.09 per gallon—38 cents lower than one year ago.

“Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine’s is over, and gas prices are going anywhere but lower,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “With Valentine’s Day now behind us, we have officially entered the time of year when gas prices traditionally start their spring fling, but we’ve already seen the streak of consecutive increases in the national average hit four weeks. While the early start could also mean an early end, we still have as many as 8 weeks before gas prices typically increase, and anything can happen between now and then. One of the most critical elements to how much gas prices will climb is how quickly and effectively refiners can finish their pre-summer maintenance, start producing EPA-mandated summer gasoline, and build up supply of it before Memorial Day.”

The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $2.99 per gallon, down 20 cents from last week, followed by $3.19, $2.89, $3.29, and $3.09 rounding out the top five most common prices. The median U.S. gas price is $3.17 per gallon, up 8 cents from last week and about 9 cents lower than the national average. The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.40 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.74 per gallon. The states with the lowest average prices: Oklahoma ($2.75), Wyoming ($2.81), Mississippi ($2.83). The states with the highest average prices: Hawaii ($4.68), California ($4.62), and Washington ($3.85).

See previous gas price reports here

In the Baltimore metro area, the cheapest gas this week could be found at the following locations:

Photo via Pixabay