Casper, Wyoming — It’s been weeks since Natrona County boasted Wyoming’s cheapest gas, but a local 2-cent drop in Average prices, despite a 3.5-cent increase in national prices, put the county back in first place.

The country’s average gas price rose again, climbing to $3.36 a Gallon on Sunday, according to data from GasBuddy. The National Average was down 6.5 cents from the previous month and 69.3 cents from last year.

The national average diesel price fell 4.6 cents over the past week to $4.34 a gallon, down 26.8 cents from a year ago.

“The national average rose last week as the transition to summer gasoline began across the country. The higher cost of these various blends is being passed on to motorists, as we see every year leading up to the summer driving season,” said Patrick De Haan, Head of Oil Analysis at GasBuddy. “Some regions are moving to required summer gasoline in different stages than others, and the fragmentation of required blends is definitely playing a role in this price increase.”

AAA said the national average price per gallon of regular gasoline is $3.41 per gallon, up 5 cents from a week ago, and placed the Wyoming average at $3.43, up 1 cent from last week. The average gas price in Natrona County was $3.17 per gallon, according to the AAA. (Graphics AAA)

The lowest price offered by local stations Tuesday was $3.08 at Exxon, 400 Valley Drive, and Conoco, 5076 W. Yellowstone Highway, followed by $3.09 at Ridley Family Market, 300 SE Wyoming Blvd.; Loaf ‘N Jug, 938 S. Poplar St.; and Conoco, 519 S. Poplar St., according to GasBuddy reports.

“Logistics issues in the transition at a time when refiners are also undertaking maintenance work could create hotspots and lead to noticeable price spikes in the spring,” De Haan said. “While we may not see weekly gains, the overall trend will continue through most of the spring. By Memorial Day, most of the country will have switched to the appropriate required fuel blend, and gas prices may drop, but by then the national average remains $4 per gallon.”

Also included in Monday’s GasBuddy report:

OIL PRICESGiven China’s weaker-than-expected growth forecast, oil prices opened the new week in the red, disappointed that demand from the country could be less than expected. In early trading, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.04 a barrel to $78.64, still up $2+ from last Monday, partly on weaker-than-expected inventory growth crude oil and last week’s optimism about a recovery in Chinese demand. Brent crude fell $1.22 in early trading to $84.61 a barrel, still a premium to $82.86 a barrel earlier last week. All eyes have been on China’s economy and consumption after the world’s second-largest oil-consuming country lifted its zero-Covid-19 policy to reopen.

U.S. rig count fell by 4 rigs last week to 749, but was up 99 rigs from a year ago, according to Baker Hughes. The number of drilling rigs in Canada rose by 2 to 246, up 29 from a year ago.

OIL AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTSA report by the Energy Information Administration last week showed a smaller increase in crude oil inventories than analysts expected, by 1.2 million barrels. Oil inventories are now about 9% above the five-year seasonal average, while the SPR has remained flat, nearly 36% below last year’s level. Domestic crude oil production remained at 12.3 million bpd, up 700,000 bpd from a year ago. Gasoline inventories are down 900,000 barrels as refineries phase out winter fuel and all regions have now begun switching to summer blended fuel. Gasoline inventories are currently 5% below the five-year seasonal average. Distillate inventories rose by just 200,000 barrels and 10% below the five-year seasonal average. Refinery utilization rates are down 0.1 percentage points as the maintenance season continues and the current level is 85.8%. Gasoline production rose to 9.7 million bpd, while distillate production fell to 4.6 million bpd. Total oil inventories are 103 million barrels higher than a year ago, but adjusted for the SPR, they are 105 million barrels lower than a year ago. Last week, the US saw very strong exports of about 77 million barrels of oil and petroleum products, a record high.

FUEL REQUIREMENTAccording to GasBuddy demand data based on the Pay with GasBuddy fuel card, U.S. retail gasoline demand fell again by 0.6% last week (Sunday-Saturday) as some winter weather conditions could again lead to minor disruptions. By PADD region, demand rose 1.0% in PADD 1, fell 1.7% in PADD 2, fell 2.5% in PADD 3, rose 2.4% in PADD 4, and rose 0. 2% in PADD 5.

GAS PRICE TRENDSThe most common U.S. gas price faced by motorists was $2.99 ​​a gallon, down 20 cents from last week, followed by $3.19, $3.09, $3.29 and $3.49, rounding out the top five most common prices. The average gas price in the US is $3.21 per gallon. , which is 2 cents more than last week and about 15 cents lower than the national average. The top 10% of gas stations in the country average $4.61 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.84 per gallon. States with the lowest average prices: Mississippi. ($2.92), Texas ($2.94), and Arkansas ($2.98). The states with the highest average prices are California ($4.83), Hawaii ($4.78), and Nevada ($4.27).

DIESEL PRICE TRENDSThe most common US diesel price was $3.99 a gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $4.19, $4.29, $3.89 and $4.09 rounding out the top five most common prices. last week and about 10 cents lower than the national average for diesel. Diesel fuel prices in the top 10% of gas stations in the country average $5.39 per gallon, while those in the bottom 10% average $3.64 per gallon. The states with the lowest average diesel prices are Oklahoma ($3.79), Texas ($3.80), and Kansas ($3.92). The states with the highest average diesel prices are Hawaii ($5.96), California ($5.57), and Maine ($5.25).

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