Gas Prices Rise Five Cents in One Day

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire rose by an especially hefty 5.4 cents today to $3.259, with an Automobile Club of Southern California official saying the sharp increase was the result of reduced production at a Northern California refinery.

“Chevron’s Richmond refinery in Northern California reported a flare-up and partial reduction of production on Tuesday morning, but even prior to that, Los Angeles area refineries were shipping gasoline north to assist with reduced Northern California refinery output,” said Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s corporate communications manager.

“The recent Chevron incident looks like it may put additional pressure on local pump prices, creating the second local gas price spike of 2015.”

The 5.4-cent increase was the largest daily increase in Riverside and San Bernardino counties since an 8.5-cent increase on Feb. 28, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service

The average price has increased eight consecutive days following a 41- day streak of decreases and is 13.2 cents more than one week ago. However, it is 1.9 cents less than one month ago and $1.006 lower than one year ago.

The average price has risen 15 cents over the past eight days, including 1.6 cents on Thursday.

--City News Service; Image via Shutterstock