Hurricane Harvey caused the largest spike in U.S. gas prices since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
BAY AREA, Calif. – California doesn’t depend on the Gulf Coast to supply our gasoline, but drivers in the Golden State are paying the highest gas prices in the U.S. this month in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The storm, which temporarily shut down 25 percent of U.S. refining capacity as it flooded Houston, drove the national average price of gasoline up nearly 35 cents. In California, prices jumped by double-digits across the state, with Northern Californians paying about 18 cents more at the pump since AAA’s last survey on Aug. 9.
California’s average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.16 on Tuesday, the highest in the state since 2015.
“An incident as severe as Harvey will have a big impact on the global supply chain, even if that region doesn’t supply California’s gas,” AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky said. “Combined with strong summer travel demand, motorists in California are seeing the highest gas prices in two years.”
San Francisco drivers are paying the highest prices in the nation at $3.30 per gallon, up 18 cents since August. Yreka drivers saw a 27-cent increase from $2.98 to $3.25, the largest spike in the region. South Lake Tahoe normally has the highest prices in Northern California, but drivers there saw a comparably small 8-cent price increase to $3.26.
But there’s good news on the horizon: Prices held steady over the last five days, stabilizing as Houston refineries returned to production.
“Gas prices historically fall after Labor Day, so drivers should expect to pay lower prices unless there’s another disruption in the oil market,” Blasky said.
AAA September 2017 Gas Price Report
| AAA Monthly Gas Price Averages: | Price | Monthly Change | City/State/Region | Price | Monthly Change |
| NATIONAL | 2.66 | +.31 | SAN MATEO | 3.21 | +.14 |
| CALIFORNIA | 3.15 | +.19 | SAN RAFAEL | 3.26 | +.22 |
| N. CALIFORNIA | 3.14 | +.18 | SANTA CRUZ | 3.06 | -+.10 |
| BAY AREA | 3.20 | +.18 | SANTA ROSA | 3.19 | Even |
| CHICO | 2.95 | +.19 | S. LAKE TAHOE | 3.26 | +.07 |
| CONCORD | 3.14 | +.23 | STOCKTON | 3.05 | +.21 |
| EUREKA | 3.25 | +.18 | TRACY | 3.08 | +.20 |
| FREMONT | 3.12 | + .19 | UKIAH | 3.01 | +.11 |
| FRESNO | 3.15 | +.19 | VALLEJO | 3.13 | +.19 |
| MARYSVILLE | 2.91 | +.24 | YREKA | 3.25 | +.27 |
| MODESTO | 3.00 | +.21 | |||
| MONTEREY | 3.14 | +.16 | |||
| OAKLAND | 3.20 | +.19 | |||
| PLEASANTON | 3.25 | +.21 | |||
| REDDING | 3.20 | +.15 | |||
| SACRAMENTO | 3.06 | +.18 | |||
| SALINAS | 3.16 | +.14 | |||
| SAN FRANCISCO | 3.30 | +.18 | |||
| SAN JOSE | 3.19 | +.20 |
AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report is the most comprehensive retail gasoline survey available, with over 100,000 self-serve stations surveyed every day, nationwide. Data is provided in cooperation with OPIS Energy Group and Wright Express, LLC.
AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to more than 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 117 years ago.
2 comments
Prices have been steadily going up for years well before the recent hurricanes, yet crude costs and everything else have remained relatively the same. The unfortunate reality is the we proved that we were willing to pay $4 per gallon a decade ago when we were being gouged by the gas companies with those outrageous prices. The hurricane is simply a convienient opporotunity for them to blame the hike on to line their pockets and appease the stockholder. No doubt about it, we will be paying $4 a gallon again in the near future.
Buckle your seatbelts for even higher prices. Jim Fraziers gas tax hits next month. Increases will not only hit you at the pump but will raise prices on all goods and services.
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