Gas pump prices continue their upward march

ALBANY — With the Atlantic getting more active at the height of hurricane season and crude oil markets getting stronger, retail gas prices have continued their two-week rise as the summer driving season nears its “unofficial” close with the coming Labor Day holiday weekend.

Over the past week, metro Albany rose above the $2 mark for average gas price, coming in Monday at $2.057, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. That is up 6.1 cents in a week and is 17.5 cents more than motorists were paying a month ago. Last year, metro Albany motorists were paying 6 cents more a gallon at $2.117.

Still, metro Albany ranked fourth-lowest among Georgia’s eight largest metro areas, according to the AAA survey. Macon was lowest Monday at $2.011, while the worst pain at the pump was in metro Atlanta, where the average Monday was $2.234.

Both Atlanta and Athens, at $2.173, were above the state average, which was $2.155, according to AAA, and $2.16, according to GasBuddy’s survey. The surveys have the state average rising 7.4-8.5 cents in a a week and about 16.5 cents in a month. Last year, Georgians were paying an average of $2.316.

Nationally, both surveys had motorists paying an average of $2.215, up 3.6-5.1 cents in a week and 7.6 cents more than last month. Compared to last year, U.S. motorists are saving a little more than 27 cents per gallon.

“As the summer driving season wraps up, gasoline prices have risen for 14 consecutive days, thanks in large part due to a late-summer rally in oil markets, driven by OPEC threats,” Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said. “While the final note may be a bit sour, the sweetness of what is still the cheapest summer gas in a decade will linger.”

AAA officials said the two main factors increasing pump prices have been a 16 percent increase in crude oil prices over the past three weeks and refinery problems in the Gulf Coast area.

“Gas prices are responding to upward pressure from higher oil prices, refinery issues and the threat of tropical weather moving into the Gulf of Mexico,” Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA — The Auto Club Group, said. “Fuel prices are likely to remain relatively volatile this week, but that’s unlikely to be a major deterrent for travelers heading into Labor Day weekend.”

AAA officials say an average of 30.3 million Americans have traveled the past two Labor Day weekends. Labor Day traditionally is the third-most-traveled holiday weekend of the year.

DeHaan said that while prices may continue moving upward in the near term, the decline should get back in gear soon.

“While some tropical disturbances may lead gas prices to continue rising slightly ahead of Labor Day weekend, relief will be felt across every single state over the next few weeks as gasoline demand drops and cheaper winter gas begins flowing in mid-September,” he said.

The Atlantic area was active Monday, with two storms, including Hurricane Gaston, out to sea in the mid-Atlantic and expected to move away from the U.S. mainland. In the Gulf of Mexico, the season’s ninth tropical depression had been threatening the oil-producing area but appeared to be poised to make a sharp northeastern turn that would take it across Florida and out to the Atlantic. A tropical disturbance off the Texas coast was disorganized and had a 10 percent chance of developing into a cyclone, the National Hurricane Center said Monday afternoon.