Gas prices surging in Washington state, relief a few weeks away
May 6, 2019, 8:55 AM
(Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Expect to pay more at the pump if you’re hitting the roads around Washington state.
AAA reports that national gas prices are surging and nearing $3 for regular gas. Average prices in Washington state have already increased to around $3.53 (just one week ago, that figure was $3.51).
The national average for a gallon of regular gas is at $2.895. That’s up about 20 cents from a month ago.
The highest prices are in California, where it is now more than $4.114 per gallon. In fact, according to GasBuddy’s gas price heat map, the highest fuel prices in the nation are along the West Coast.
RELATED: Outages in California, Washington cause gas prices to rise
As of Monday morning, the best price for gas in the Seattle area is at Costco on South Industrial Way — $3.29. And the best price for gas in Washington state is at the Wolf Den ($3.02) near Toppenish in Eastern Washington.
This aligns with predictions made by GasBuddy in early April. According to that assessment, gas prices were not expected to begin leveling out, and coming down, until June. That prediction is holding, according to petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy. GasBuddy reports Monday that President Trump’s recent tariff threats on China may have prompted oil prices to plummet. DeHaan further notes:
It appears that large increases in gas prices have begun to fade to a distant memory, lending credibility to the notion that gas prices may be close to peaking for the time being. Oil prices have plummeted and with President Trump’s shocking warning Sunday about raising tariffs on China. Oil prices may see another weekly loss along with wholesale gasoline prices on the worry that perhaps a trade deal is not as close as anticipated, risking the recent growth in the U.S. economy and potentially leading to lower oil demand. For now, I believe we’re close to seeing gas prices peak in the next few weeks or so in most of the U.S., and barring any future unexpected outages. I think most the country has seen the risk of big price increases melt away. We’re in the last inning or so of the seasonal rally- once this game is over- we’ll likely begin to see prices recede in June, tracking very closely to what we experienced last summer.
GasBuddy also assessed in April when the best days are to fill up. In Washington state, gas is cheapest on Mondays — except in Seattle where Sunday is the cheapest day. Avoid filling up on Thursday and Friday — the most expensive gas days for the region.
