Gas prices headed lower after Memorial Day, with the next travel spike expected later this month as the school year ends.
While gas prices are higher than this same period a year ago, drivers in the Mid-Atlantic region saw little movement last week in gas prices as Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
The official AAA Mid-Atlantic gas price average for the state was up eight cents from a year ago and down a few pennies from a week earlier.
The GasBuddy.com website reported prices as low as $2.17 a gallon for members at a BJ’s store in Elsmere and prices of $2.28 a gallon elsewhere in the area at market leader Wawa.
Gas price averages have been affected by high pries in north Wilmington, where the price at the pump often runs above $2.40 a gallon. Prices in that area are affected by Pennsylvania, which has the nation’s hgiehst fuel tax.
At the same time, the average price at the pump in neighboring south Jersey is comparable to the Delaware figure.
As gas prices have dropped so has price sensitiviity. Saving $5 or so in Elsmere for filing up the SUV or pickup truck is not that big a deal until prices move to the $3 mark.
CURRENT AND PAST GAS PRICE AVERAGES
Regular Unleaded Gasoline (*indicates record high)
| 6/4/17 | Week Ago (5/28/17) | Year Ago (6/4/16) | |
| National | $2.38 | $2.37 | $2.35 |
| Pennsylvania | $2.58 | $2.59 | $2.48 |
| Philadelphia (5-county) | $2.60 | $2.61 | $2.47 |
| South Jersey | $2.34 | $2.34 | $2.10 |
| Wilkes-Barre | $2.55 | $2.56 | $2.45 |
| Delaware | $2.33 | $2.36 | $2.25 |
| Crude Oil | $47.66 per barrel (Friday 6/2/17 close) |
$49.81 per barrel (Friday 5/25/17 close) |
$49.17 per barrel (6/2/16) |
“Growing demand pressured prices higher just before the Memorial Day holiday, yet many drivers in the Mid-Atlantic region paid only pennies more per gallon of gasoline during the holiday period,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “As seasonal demand for gasoline grows, consumers could see summer gasoline prices return to the high prices seen in April, when the national average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.42.”
A wildcard for gas prices in the coming months is the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs from June 1 through November 30. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, this year’s season will likely be above normal, which means of the 11-17 named predicted storms, five to nine could become hurricanes.
Should any of these severe storms or hurricanes reach landfall, production, refining and distribution could be affected.
For gas prices in your neighborood, check out AAA’s Fuel Price Finder (http://www.AAA.com/fuelfinder),
