A recent refinery issue has caused a surge in gas prices ahead of Labor Day weekend. 

The national average for a gallon of regular went up more than seven cents this past week to $3.21 mainly due to flooding at BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana. 

The largest refinery in the Midwest shut down operations for several days following a severe thunderstorm. As a result, states in the Great Lakes region saw an increase in gas prices, but they may get some relief soon now that the refinery is back online. 

“Overall, summer gas prices have remained steady and should trend downward as the fall season begins,” says Doug Johnson, spokesperson with AAA Mountain West Group. “The incident in Indiana underscores the futility of predicting gas prices. Mother Nature and geopolitical events can suddenly and unexpectedly impact fuel prices.”

California drivers will find an average price of $4.59, a 10-cent jump from last week.

Fuel prices around the state: 

• Lake County: $4.52.
• San Francisco: $4.71.
• Oakland: $4.63.
• San Jose: $4.57.
• Sacramento: $4.54.
• Fresno: $4.59.
• Stockton: $4.48.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration, or EIA, gasoline demand increased from 8.84 million b/d last week to 9.24 million. 

Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 223.6 million barrels to 222.3. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 10 million barrels per day.
 
Oil market dynamics

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI rose 90 cents to settle at $64.15 a barrel. The EIA reports crude oil inventories decreased by 2.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 418.3 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 6% below the five-year average for this time of year.
 
EV charging

The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same this past week at 36 cents. In California, it’s 37 cents.

State stats: Gas

The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.59), Hawaii ($4.47), Washington ($4.39), Oregon ($3.97), Nevada ($3.81), Alaska ($3.75), Illinois ($3.54), Idaho ($3.48), Arizona ($3.42), and Michigan ($3.37).
The nation's top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.73), Arkansas ($2.78), Louisiana ($2.78), Oklahoma ($2.78), Tennessee ($2.79), Texas ($2.80), Alabama ($2.83), South Carolina ($2.84), Missouri ($2.87), and Kansas ($2.87).

State stats: Electric

The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Alaska (51 cents), West Virginia (49 cents), Hawaii (47 cents), South Carolina (45 cents), New Hampshire (43 cents), Tennessee (43 cents), Arkansas (42 cents), Montana (42 cents), Idaho (42 cents), and Louisiana (42 cents).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (25 cents), Missouri (27 cents), Maryland (28 cents), Utah (28 cents), Nebraska (30 cents), Delaware (31 cents), Vermont (32 cents), North Carolina (32 cents), Washington (33 cents), and Virginia (33 cents).

Drivers can find current gas and electric charging prices along their route using the AAA Mobile App, now available on CarPlay.

Fine current fuel prices at GasPrices.AAA.com.