(WXMI) — Millions of Americans are hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend, and GasBuddy predicts two thirds of the country’s inhabitants will travel sometime between then and Labor Day.
That amounts to more than 230 million people, so we revisited current gas prices to understand why they are higher than usual.
GasBuddy says the price of regular gas is averaging $3.61 per gallon throughout the U.S.
In Michigan, the average is $0.05 higher at $3.66.
Grand Rapids currently sits at $3.70 per gallon.
FOX 17 spoke with Patrick DeHaan, Gas Buddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Wednesday.
DeHaan explains BP’s and Exxon’s refineries are running low, contributing to the price hike. Furthermore, he says OPEC has limited the supply of oil with the intent to inflate oil and gas prices. That started last summer.
What is West Michigan paying compared to last year? DeHaan says gas prices are only 10 to 15 cents higher despite the conditions.
If you do plan on driving this weekend, DeHaan says gas prices should be uniform across the state, so it doesn’t really matter where you choose to fill up. However, it might be a good idea to avoid purchasing gas around the Chicago-metro area.
"There's not going to be a whole lot of deviation. You're gonna see some stations $3.50 and $3.60, whether you're going over to Detroit area, if you're headed to cold water, or you're gonna see a lot of those similar prices heading north," says DeHaan. "I expect a lot of uniformity and gas prices across Michigan for the holiday; most prices probably $3.50s up to about $3.79 a gallon."
You’re probably wondering when gas prices will ease up. DeHaan says they should start to drop later in the summer. He adds summer prices are somewhat predictable apart from unknown factors — or “wildcards” — like hurricanes or production cuts by OPEC.
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