With states relaxing their coronavirus guidelines and Americans getting vaccinated, many are ready to hit the road for Memorial Day weekend.
However, a roadblock for some will be the price of gas. Experts now confirm that gas prices will be around $3.00 per gallon.
According to AAA, that is the highest it has been since the 2014 holiday weekend.
The United States Energy Information Administration reported that the week of May 17, gas prices were $3.11 per gallon. Several days before, the prices were $3.05 per gallon.
Patrick De Haan, head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, said that increased demand and the effects of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack are the reason why prices across the country are growing.
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“Prices have been going up, really, since last November and that’s just a story that the vaccine continues to allow,” De Haan said. “Americans are getting back to normal. You couldn’t drive to go see an MLB game, but now you can. You couldn’t drive to go see a NHL game, and now you can. There’s a lot more things for Americans to do now that the economy’s reopening.”
The weekend itself is supposed to be busy with Americans traveling for the May holiday. AAA has predicted that 37 million Americans will travel by road and air from Thursday to Sunday.
“I’d say what we’re seeing now is just the market stabilizing, in terms of seeing pumps being refueled, but also remaining high because we know demand is going to be pretty significant,” Jeanette McGee, director of AAA’s external communications, said.
Despite “normal operations” returning after the Colonial pipeline incident, states in the south are still experiencing outages. According to GasBuddy.com, 29% of South Carolina gas stations, 27% of Georgia gas stations, and 25% of North Carolina gas stations are out of fuel.
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“For motorists around most of the country, there’s not a whole lot to worry about, unless you’re in the southeast where you still may have a bit of a headache when choosing to fill up,” De Haan said.
McGee said it is essential to fill up your vehicle when traveling this weekend once you hit a quarter tank.
“Keep your eye on your fuel tank. When you hit that quarter or quarter of a tank left, make sure at that point a little light goes off in your head and you consider filling up,” McGee said. “You don’t want to get too far down the road and run out of gas. It’s just not good for your car and it’s not good for your wallet.”
McGee also said that lower prices might be found at stations in town compared to gas stations off the highway.
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