COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus area gas prices likely experienced a what experts call a price-cycle jump, while most of the county continues to see prices fall.
According to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in the Columbus area, the average price at the pump rose by 18.5 cents per gallon last week to reach $2.92, though it remains 10 cents per gallon lower than the national average. The current price is one cent per gallon higher than four weeks ago but still 36.5 cents lower than this time one year ago.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $2.35 a gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $3.29, a difference of 94 cents per gallon. In Ohio, the average price of gas also rose 11.7 cents from $2.78 per gallon to $2.90 per gallon.
Meanwhile, nationally, gas prices fell slightly, by 1.3 cents per gallon, to reach $3.02. The price of diesel also fell 5.0 cents, settling at $3.56 per gallon.
The rise in fuel cost was just the second bump over the last eight weeks, bucking the trend of cheaper gas in central Ohio. Falling prices, while good for motorists, can also lead to questions and concerns about long-term ramifications, head of petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said, depending on the reason for said decline.
“As concerns over tariffs and policy uncertainties grow, gas prices have continued to decline across much of the country, raising the possibility that the national average could slip below $3 per gallon and approach some of the lowest prices seen in years,” De Haan said. “This decline shouldn’t necessarily be celebrated, as it comes with strong warning signs. When the economy slows, gasoline demand drops— along with demand for other refined products like diesel and jet fuel (and) we’ve already seen some signals that the months ahead could be challenging.”
