Gas Prices Spike In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Although the Golden State doesn't depend on the Gulf Coast for gasoline, California has had the highest gas prices in the country this month in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, according to AAA Northern California. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in California was $3.16 on Tuesday – the highest in the state since 2015.

San Rafael drivers are paying $3.26 per gallon, up 22 cents since August, according to figures from AAA Northern California. Drivers in San Francisco are paying the highest prices in the nation at $3.30 per gallon, up 18 cents since last month.

"An incident as severe as Harvey will have a big impact on the global supply chain, even if that region doesn’t supply California’s gas," AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky said. "Combined with strong summer travel demand, motorists in California are seeing the highest gas prices in two years."

Hurricane Harvey temporarily shut down 25 percent of U.S. refining capacity as it flooded Houston, driving the national average price of gasoline up nearly 35 cents, according to AAA Northern California.

But there's good news for California drivers. Although gas prices spiked by double-digits across the state, they have held steady over the last five days, according to AAA, as Houston refineries returned to production.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch