Tightening gasoline inventories continue to send pump prices higher across the Mid-Atlantic, opposite of what drivers usually see this time of year. Above average demand for gasoline and a recent uptick in exports have decreased overall inventories.
Above average demand for gasoline and a recent uptick in exports have decreased overall inventories, driving prices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, Wilmington-based AAA Mid-Atlantic reported.
Gas prices rose three cents over the weekend in Delaware, an unusual development in a state where spikes and cuts often take place during the work week.
Monday fuel prices from AAA Mid-Atlantic
| Pennsylvania | New Jersey | Delaware | Maryland | |
| Monday | $2.74 | $2.54 | $2.43 | $2.47 |
| Sunday | $2.73 | $2.53 | $2.41 | $2.46 |
| Saturday | $2.72 | $2.52 | $2.40 | $2.46 |
| Friday | $2.71 | $2.52 | $2.40 | $2.45 |
| Philadelphia | South Jersey | Wilkes-Barre | |
| Monday | $2.71 | $2.49 | $2.70 |
| Sunday | $2.69 | $2.48 | $2.70 |
| Saturday | $2.69 | $2.48 | $2.69 |
| Friday | $2.68 | $2.47 | $2.68 |
At the close of NYMEX trading Friday, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil closed at $55.64 per barrel, $1.74 higher than the previous week and its highest level since July 2015.
Improving global crude oil signal that the market is rebalancing itself on the heels of the production cuts made by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), AAA reported.
“Drivers continue to spend a bit more at the pump as local gasoline inventories decline,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Part of the region’s price volatility can be attributed to an unexpectedly steady demand for gasoline following the end of the summer driving season, likely due to recent warmer temperatures.”
Despite recent fluctuation in prices at the pump, AAA forecasts that the national average gas price will decrease as the holidays approach. According to the EIA, prices are expected to continue falling, likely reaching $2.33 per gallon in December.
Neighborhood gas prices are available at AAA’s Fuel Price Finder at (http://www.AAA.com/fuelfinder).
