Hurricane season could spell gas-price hike in the Columbus area

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the Columbus area dropped by 11 cents after a roller-coaster end to the month of June.

After Columbus motorists experienced spikes in gas prices two of the previous three weeks, the average price dropped by 11 cents in the last week, settling at $3.47 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in the Columbus area.  

The current price is 18.6 cents per gallon higher than one month ago and 16.7 cents per gallon higher than this time one year ago. In Ohio, the average price of gas also fell 12.2 cents per gallon, from $3.52 per gallon to $3.40 per gallon.

Columbus Gas Prices Tracker

The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $3.15 a gallon, while the most expensive was $4.35, a difference of $1.20 cents per gallon. Nationally, gas prices remained steady at $3.46 per gallon.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said that as rocky weather continues in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as other areas in the future associated with hurricane season, a potential in price-hikes remain a possibility.

"For now, we'll likely continue to see some fluctuations in either direction with the national average moving up,” De Haan said. “But as we approach August and the peak of hurricane season, there remains a risk that the national average could surge temporarily if we see a major storm in the wrong place."