(AP) – The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline spiked 9 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, landing at $2.83.
Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that the jump was driven primarily by rising crude oil costs. The current gas price is 37 cents above where it was a year ago.
The highest average price in the contiguous 48 states was $3.68 in the San Francisco Bay area. The lowest was $2.45 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. South Carolina’s average is $2.52.
The average price for diesel fuel rose six cents, to $3.10.
The cost of gas locally has also increased but remains below the national average. Gas is $2.52 per gallon in Myrtle Beach – 40 cents more than a year ago and 55 cents more than in 2016 – according to GasBuddy.
The gasoline price website says prices are expected to climb before peaking and may slightly decrease around Memorial Day into June.
