SAN DIEGO — Gas has risen almost $0.25 in the last week, averaging at $5.95 per gallon according to GasBuddy’s survey of nearly 750 gas stations in San Diego.
Prices in San Diego are $0.65 per gallon higher than one month ago and almost $0.30 per gallon higher than one year ago.
Lines wrapped around the two different Costco gas stations in San Diego on Monday. Drivers traveled for miles to grab a better deal, but were disappointed at the pump.
"It was $60 for a half a tank! That’s a lot! I think that’s crazy! We've got to watch our spending!" said a female driver at Costco.
"$18 for 3 gallons! It's way too expensive," said a driver at Costco.
"Oh, I need another job, that’s what I need," said another driver at Costco.
GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis, Patrick De Haan, explained the reasoning behind the high gas prices.
"All of this is happening due to refinery issues that are battering much of Southern California. It means the refinery is suffering from an unexpected outage. It's kind of like getting a nail in your tire; that impacts your ability to drive or in this case impacts the refinery's ability to supply as much gasoline," said De Haan.
So, how long will this price increase last? He says it could last a few weeks or even until the end of October until drivers see some relief.
"It's not as quite as high as what we saw last year; $6.38 last year also due to refinery issues. In the Summer, it hit $6.35. Now, we are here in the Fall, and it's another round of refinery issues, it jumped from $5.15 to $6.38 last year. I'm hopeful it won't get as high as last year," said De Haan.
If we take a look at previous gas prices in San Diego
- Last year on September 25, the average price was $5.66.
- On September 25, 2021, the average was $4.35 per gallon.
- And on September 25, 2016, it was $2.75 per gallon.
Once the refinery issues get sorted out, De Hann says gas prices may finally go down.
"It could drop $0.50-$0.75 a gallon. Keep in mind: it will take several weeks; maybe a month to get back to normal," said De Haan.
De Haan says it's best to shop around for the lowest gas prices before you head out. You can do this on the GasBuddy or Waze app.
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