Gas Prices Starting To Climb

Gas prices are on the rise in the Bayou State. Don Redman with AAA says gas prices in June were the lowest we’ve seen all year, which is unusual for the summer months. He says we’re already seeing an uptick in prices at the pump.

“We’re looking right now at prices just a couple of cents higher than we were a week ago, fairly in line to where we were a month ago, but we’re hanging around the $2.08 cents a gallon range statewide,” Redman said.

Redman says that’s almost 10 cents higher than we were this time last year. He expects prices will continue to climb as we get closer to Labor Day, as refineries struggle to keep up with this summer’s record demand for gasoline.

“If that demand continues at the pace that it is right now, we could see pressure put on the gas prices. We could see potentially by the time we get to Labor Day, prices statewide about $2.20 a gallon,” Redman said.

Redman says we could be looking at a 10 cent a gallon hike by the time we reach Labor Day. But he notes that’s an educated guess because a lot of factors affect prices at the pump, especially in the Gulf South.

“We’re still in hurricane season. So if we get a hurricane come in that could disrupt the refining process or the distribution process, we could see prices go much higher,” Redman said.