Gas prices climb amidst weather, demand, refinery maintenance
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The last time you filled up your tank, you probably noticed that the gas price was up again. CBS Philadelphia asked the experts why and where it can go from here.
Dan Koziczkowski is traveling from Florida to South Carolina in his motorhome and feeling the pain at the pump.
"On a fixed budget, it hurts, but it is what it is. You can't do nothing about it," Koziczkowski said.
After hitting a record high last summer, gas prices dropped dramatically in the fall but are now marching higher again.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of unleaded has jumped 30 cents in the past month.
"Well, a lot of it had to do with the weather. We had that terrible winter storm at the end of December," Andrew Gross from AAA said.
He says the holiday storm forced many refineries to shut down leading to a disruption in supply.
"You had this weather-related oil refinery issue, that's gotten better," Gross said, "but it kind of set everything back, and that's why you had that pretty steady increase in prices."
Those prices are starting to stabilize but could be going up again. That's because many refineries are about to shut down for annual maintenance, which will impact output, just as demand for gas is about to go up.
"After the end of February, you start getting into spring driving season, starts ramping up," Gross said.
When more drivers are on the road, higher gas prices usually follow and some analysts predict they'll climb another 25 to 50 cents a gallon by March.
The average price of gas nationwide is $3.50.
In the CBS Philadelphia area, average prices are as follows:
- Philadelphia area: $3.66 a gallon
- New Jersey: $3.39 a gallon
- Delaware: $3.44 a gallon
