Georgia motorists continue to pay higher pump prices, according to AAA

ATLANTA — Georgia gas prices continue upward trend compared to a week ago, according to the auto club AAA.

Georgia motorists are now paying an average price of $2.59 per gallon for regular unleaded, the club said. Monday’s state average was 17 cents more than a week ago, 15 cents more than this time last month and 12 cents less than this time last year.

It now costs $38.85 to fill a 15-gallon tank of gasoline. That is $3.75 less than what motorists paid in May of 2018, when pump prices hit their 2018 peak of $2.84 per gallon, AAA said.

“Rise in crude oil prices, a result of attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, contributed to increase at the pump,” said Montrae Waiters, a spokeswoman for AAA. “However, the national average has held steady for two days, signaling that gas prices may be stabilizing in the coming week, which will be welcome relief for Georgia motorists.”

The most expensive Georgia metro markets were Atlanta at $2.67 per gallon, Gainesville at $2.63 and Athens at $2.62.

The least expensive Georgia metro markets were Catoosa-Dade-Walker at $2.42 per gallon, Dalton at $2.43 and Augusta-Aiken at $2.45.

The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.66 per gallon, which was 9 cents more than a week ago, 6 cents less than a month ago and 19 cents less than a year ago, AAA said.

For the week ending on Sept. 13, demand dropped by 900,000 barrels per day from the previous week to 8.9 million, according to new data from the Energy Information Administration. Additionally, total domestic stocks increased by 800,000 barrels to 229.7 million barrels.

Typically, these market shifts would push pump prices down, but increased oil prices — a result of attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last week — have pushed pump prices up, AAA said.