Hurricane Season Could Screw Up Gas Price Relief at the Pump

Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images)

Gas prices have continued to their intrepid march downward in recent weeks, but like all good things it may not last forever. The average price of a gallon of gas now sits at $3.90 across the country, according to AAA.

That’s down $1.12 since prices hit their peak in mid-June. It’s the same story with diesel. It’s below $5 now, sitting at $4.98. It’s an 84-cent drop from the current mid-June record. All of this good news may be coming to an end sooner rather than later, unfortunately.

“Now we need to keep an eye on the weather as hurricane season arrives. These storms can affect prices by disrupting oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and impacting large coastal refineries,” Andrew Gross, a AAA spokesperson said in a statement.

Basically, hurricane season may come in and fuck all our shit up – raising prices higher than they currently are. If the coastal refiners are knocked offline or oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is put on hold, it could be very bad for the fuel supply chain. Keep in mind, that’s a supply chain that’s already been reeling from months of other issues. It’s not ideal, that’s for sure.

It’s a real bummer for us, because AccuWeather (my alma mater) is predicting 16-20 named storms this year. That’s higher than the 30-year average of 14 storms per year. They also predict six to eight actual hurricanes. That means there’s a better chance one of these storms could punch us right in the jaw gasoline wise.

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While we have that to look forward to, let’s check out gas prices around the country. Who’s high and who’s low? It’s anyone’s guess. Well, not really. They tend to be roughly the same.

Here is the highest average gas prices in the country in order of highest price for a gallon regular:

California – $5.32 Regular | $5.52 Mid | $5.67 Premium | $6.22 DieselHawaii – $5.32 Regular | $5.55 Mid | $5.78 Premium | $6.10 DieselNevada – $4.92 Regular | $5.16 Mid | $5.36 Premium | $5.15 DieselAlaska – $4.88 Regular | $5.05 Mid | $5.26 Premium | $5.33 DieselOregon – $4.83 Regular | $5.02 Mid | $5.23 Premium | $5.66 Diesel

Here is the lowest average price of gasoline in the country in order of lowest price per gallon of regular:

Arkansas – $3.41 Regular | $3.76 Mid | $4.10 Premium | $4.64 DieselMississippi – $3.42 Regular | $3.78 Mid | $4.14 Premium | $4.60 DieselGeorgia – $3.43 Regular | $3.82 Mid | $4.19 Premium | $4.68 DieselTexas – $3.44 Regular | $3.80 Mid | $4.13 Premium | $4.50 DieselTennessee – $3.44 Regular | $3.82 Mid | $4.18 Premium | $4.68 Diesel

Rock me like a hurricane, baby.