Bay Area gas prices trending upwards once again
REDWOOD CITY - After a months-long downward trend, gas prices are trending upwards once again in the Bay Area.
KPIX 5 met Marilyn Park at a gas station in Redwood City on Friday, where she paid $59.17 for around 9 gallons of gas. She estimates that's about $10 more than she would have paid about a month ago.
"It's quite a bit more," she said.
Park says she really noticed the upward trend at her go-to station in San Mateo.
"They went up since yesterday by a lot," she said. "A station I normally go to in San Mateo that's really cheap was $5.19 yesterday. Today it was closed, but their sign said $5.49."
According to AAA figures on Friday, here's the average cost for a gallon of gas in several Bay Area communities:
San Francisco: $5.83
San Jose: $5.68
Oakland: $5.69
San Rafael: $5.82
Vallejo: $5.55
Here's what the average prices were in the same communities a month ago:
San Francisco: $5.51
San Jose: $5.36
Oakland: $5.38
San Rafael: $5.43
Vallejo: $5.27
"I wish they'd go back down," Park said.
John Treanor, a spokesperson for AAA, says there are numerous factors at play near and far that are likely affecting gas prices.
"One, we have a potential hurricane coming. Whenever hurricane season comes in, that can have an effect on the oil industry and prices tend to go up," he said. "At the same time in California, we have what's called oil refinery turnaround season. Now is the time when oil refineries are taken offline for maintenance and for inspection. At the same time that's happening, other refineries have had unexpected maintenance, and that means supply is just not keeping up with demand."
He described the situation as an issue of supply and demand.
"Some of these things are temporary, which means they're going to have an effect, but not a lasting effect. Other ones, we don't know when they are going to end," he said.
Park hopes prices stabilize, or better yet, reverse, in the near future.
"It makes me think twice before I drive out of the way," she said.
Statewide, the average price for a gallon of gas is $5.58, and the national average is $3.68, according to AAA.