Indiana is among 10 states that experienced the largest increase in gas prices over the past week.
The national average for a gallon of gas went up 13 cents during that time, Hoosiers are paying 16 cents more per gallon than they did last week. However, the national and statewide average for a gallon of unleaded gas is the same at $2.63.
“They’re not going down anytime soon, at least drastically,” AA Auto Club Spokesperson Jeannette Casselano McGee said.
A winter storm that took out 40% of the nation’s refineries is partly to blame. The storm dumped record amounts of snow in Texas and Oklahoma.
McGee said even though people are driving less during the COVID-19 pandemic, production of crude oil is increasing.
“What’s driving crude oil prices is really the promise of a vaccination. We saw those crude oil prices start to increase at the end of November, post-election,” said McGee.
McGee added that although travel is likely to increase this summer as more people get vaccinated it won’t reach the levels seen during pre-COVID summer travel seasons.
In March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the average price for a gallon of gas in Indiana was $1.84 and $1.99 nationally.