COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gas prices in central Ohio are 52 cents higher than they were four weeks ago, when cheap oil and full-bore refinery production pushed prices at the pump to three-year lows.
The cost for a gallon of regular gas in Columbus was $2.38, 8 cents higher than a week ago, in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That is also 47 cents higher than a month ago.
Ohio’s statewide average price is $2.33, up about a nickel from a week ago and about 42 cents higher than a month ago, but $1.14 less than last year at this time.
The average price of a regular gallon of gas jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks, repeating the hike seen two weeks prior, according to a weekly survey of gas stations by oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg.
The price in Columbus has increased 13 cents during the same period.
The rise follows months of crashing prices and is still $1.08 per gallon less than a year ago. Lundberg attributed the rise to an increase in crude oil prices in mid-January and labor strikes at several refineries.