WASHINGTON — If you've been feeling sticker shock at the gas pumps lately, don't worry, it's not just you. Quite a few drivers are wondering if gas prices have jumped up overnight.
Drivers WUSA9 spoke to around the DMV admit they may not know how much the prices are changing, but they are feeling it in their pocketbooks.
"I've noticed the prices have been up and down, and lately, they've been more up," Arlene Hill in Northwest DC said.
"I think it's like something random," added Gerald Rodriguez of Silver Spring.
Hill said she has to travel long distances, so cutting down miles isn't an option for her to save.
"This means I'm going to have to find other ways to cut my budget," she said.
According to AAA, the current national average gas price is $3.36 per gallon. The price in the DC Metro is $3.48 -- a 16 cent increase from one month ago.
"We started to see these increases about a month ago in February," said Ragina Ali, AAA's public and government affairs manager.
It was during the first week of February that there was a huge power outage in Whiting, Indiana leading to a slow down in oil production.
"There was an outage, and that refinery in Indiana was actually responsible for 435,000 barrels of crude oil a day," Ali said.
Looking at data from GasBuddy, it shows an upward trend in February, and that's not going to stop soon.
"Three main reasons why prices are going up, we are starting to see refineries maintain before the summer driving season. At the same time, we're also rolling over the summer blends," Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, said.
The third reason includes people driving more when it warms up, leaving people like Hill looking for a better deal.
"So I'll go to the place that has the cheapest gas," she said.
If you're wondering how you can save, besides driving less, here a few tips from the experts.
- Buying gas on Monday or Tuesday as early days in the week see less demand
- Mixing-up commute with mass transit
- Look for gas stations with cash discount
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