SEATTLE — The average gas price in Washington state hit $4.10 as of Wednesday morning, with this being the earliest gas prices have hit $4 per gallon in 10 years.
Drivers across the state and the U.S. have seen prices at the pump continue to rise, especially over the last two weeks as Russia’s economy becomes cut off from much of the world because it is invading Ukraine.
The national average on Wednesday, according to AAA, was up to $3.72.
Still, even with the invasion in Ukraine, Kelly Just with AAA said that Washington state gets very little crude oil from Russia, which has been hit with a growing number of sanctions.
So why are prices continuing to go up?
“The markets are a little bit jittery just because of world events. So, we are going to see it's going to be rough for a while,” Just explained.
Additionally, Just said the state saw a trend in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic of gas prices rising from September or October through Memorial Day weekend before falling through the summer.
The trend is influenced, at least in part, by refineries that begin making the summer gas blends in the springtime. Just said that this process can cause gas prices to increase up to 15 cents per gallon.
Despite rising gas prices, Just doesn’t expect the cost to deter Washingtonians from taking road trips this summer. She said that gas prices historically don’t affect the number of people who take to the roads for family outings.
“They might go a shorter distance or for a shorter amount of time. But what we've seen is even with gas prices this high, road trips are still very popular,” she said.
As for the future and when gas prices might come down, Just explained the word “unpredictable” best summarized the outlook for costs at the pump.
“We've got a bumpy ride ahead,” she said, adding, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen them this high this early, and they’re going to keep going up.”
The highest gas price Washington state has seen came in 2008 when the average went up to $4.35 per gallon.