COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gas prices are up for the second week in a row, but analysts say it could be worse.
The average price for a gallon of regular in Columbus was $2.38 in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That’s up a nickel from a week ago but 10 cents cheaper than on March 2 and 4 cents lower than the national average.
The price of crude oil reached a six-year low earlier this month, which AAA public relations manager Michael Green says has temporarily offset potential price gains from robust demand, regional refinery maintenance and the seasonal transition to more expensive summer-blend gasoline.
The price is also $1.20 less than last year at this time.
The national average is unchanged from the past two weeks and $1.13 less than a year ago at this time.
Among Ohio’s metropolitan areas, Youngstown had the lowest average Monday at $2.34 per gallon.