California Gas Prices Jump 13 Cents in February, AAA Reports

California drivers are seeing higher gas prices as February begins. The statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline increased by 13 cents since last week, reaching $4.39. This price is still 11 cents lower than the average recorded at this time last year, according to a news release from AAA.

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline also rose a couple of cents from last week, now at $2.89. This national price remains below the $3.12 average from last year at this time.

AAA said California is the second-most expensive state for gasoline in the nation, at $4.39. Hawaii is the most expensive at $4.40.

Doug Johnson, a spokesperson for AAA Mountain West Group, noted the current trends.

"Gasoline demand is down as fewer drivers hit the road during the recent winter storms," Johnson said. He added, "But this is the time of year when pump prices start nudging higher, as spring approaches and refineries start making the switch to summer-blend gasoline production."

Around California, cities reported varied prices.

San Francisco saw an average of $4.61, while Oakland was at $4.46. San Jose's average matched the statewide figure at $4.39. Sacramento recorded $4.37, Fresno $4.31, and Stockton $4.25.

New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates a decrease in gasoline demand last week, from 8.75 million barrels per day to 8.15 million barrels per day. Total domestic gasoline supply increased slightly from 257.2 million barrels to 257.9 million barrels. Gasoline production averaged 9.0 million barrels per day last week.

In the oil market, WTI crude oil rose $1.93 to settle at $65.14 a barrel at the close of Wednesday’s trading session. The EIA reported that crude oil inventories decreased by 3.5 million barrels from the previous week. U.S. crude oil inventories currently stand at 420.3 million barrels, which is about 4 percent below the five-year average for this period.

For electric vehicle charging, the national average per kilowatt hour at a public station remains 38 cents. In California, the average cost for public EV charging is 42 cents.

For public EV charging, California ranks sixth most expensive at 42 cents per kilowatt hour.

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Editor's Note: This article was formatted in part by an artificial intelligence summarization tool.