Despite recent rise, Oregon’s April gas prices lowest in 7 years

Despite increasing for the past month, Oregon’s retail gas prices are the cheapest they’ve been to start the month of April since 2009, AAA Oregon-Idaho reported Tuesday.

For the week, the national average for regular unleaded adds a penny, to $2.05 a gallon. The Oregon average also gains a penny to $2.18, which is 54 cents less than a year ago and is the second-largest yearly drop in the nation.

AAA Oregon/Idaho Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds said, “Although pump prices are expected to climb leading into the summer driving season, AAA believes consumers will likely enjoy lower prices compared to recent years due to the overall abundance of supply and the lower price for crude oil.”

The switchover to summer-blend gasoline at refineries has already taken place, and this special blend of fuel has begun to make its way to fuel terminals in many parts of the country, though it can take a few weeks because fuel travels through pipelines at four miles per hour.

This blend costs more to produce, and drivers likely will notice higher prices in areas required to use this fuel over the next few weeks.

In addition, continued refinery maintenance and rising demand may also lead to higher prices in some areas. Still, prices are expected to remain below last year’s highs. The national average reached its 2015 high of $2.80 on June 15, 2014, while the Oregon average peaked at $3.15 on July 15, 2014.

Drivers in California are paying the nation’s highest averages at the pump. Regional supply challenges have kept gas prices elevated in the Golden State; however, these issues reportedly have begun to ease.

Regulators have given the okay to let Exxon Mobil resume operations at its oil refinery in Torrance. The refinery was shut down after an explosion in February 2015. Prices in the region may soon recover as a result

. Regional neighbors Hawaii, Nevada, Washington and Alaska join in the rankings as the nation’s top five most expensive markets for gas. Oregon is seventh at $2.18 after four weeks at sixth. Averages in nearly half (23) of the states are below the $2 per gallon threshold, and motorists in Oklahoma ($1.81) and South Carolina ($1.85) are paying the lowest prices at the pump.

Prices have moved by more than a nickel per gallon week-over-week, and they’re likely to continue to fluctuate in the near term due to imbalances between supply and demand, AAA said.

Gas prices are up in the majority of states (37) on the week, with the largest increases in price seen by drivers in Michigan (+11 cents) and Arizona (+8 cents). Prices have fallen in 13 states, and drivers in Minnesota (-6 cents)and Oklahoma (-4 cents) are experiencing the largest weekly savings.

Prices are up by more than a nickel per gallon for the month in 48 states, and consumers in 45 states and Washington, D.C. are paying double-digit premiums month-over-month. Averages are up by a quarter or more per gallon in 21 states, with the biggest jumps occurring in states west of the Rockies: Arizona (+57 cents), Nevada (+42 cents) and California (+35 cents).

To find the lowest gas prices on the High Desert, visit KTVZ.COM’s Pump Patrol, fueled by GasBuddy.com