COLUMBUS, Ohio – Central Ohio drivers are seeing the first increase in prices at the gas pump in two weeks.
A gallon of regular gas in Ohio was averaging $2.61 in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc., 15 cents higher than a week ago but 10 cents below the national average.
The average price in Ohio was $2.60, an increase of 12 cents from a week ago. Ohio’s average remains below the nation’s average, which was $2.71 per gallon on Monday.
Gas prices remain significantly cheaper than last year at this time, when prices were averaging $3.72 per gallon.
The average national price of a regular gallon of gasoline has jumped in the past three weeks, according to industry analyst Trilby Lundberg, who said Sunday that higher crude prices caused by a weaker U.S. dollar and strong gasoline demand drove the increase.
She does not expect the price spike to last long, as long as crude oil prices remain stable.