PHOENIX – If you thought this spring gas price hike was going to suck, wait until the summer holidays. A pump is coming to your bank account. Perhaps road trips to Disneyland will be put on hold.

The average price of regular gas in Arizona was the third highest in the nation for at least the last month, according to data, after California and Hawaii. AAA gas calculator is shown.

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Arizona’s current average price of $4.68 a regular gallon is a welcome move from the state’s all-time high of $5.38 last summer, but still 1.14 below the national average of $3.54 on Thursday. high dollar. A calculator will appear. Summer is approaching. Need to switch to a bike or scooter around town? Why not dust off the rollerblades in your garage?

The reasons and contents of gasoline prices are as follows.

Refinery and Oil Supply Spring Maintenance Caused

Julian Paredes, a spokesman for AAA Mountain West, said the biggest driver of the gas price hike was two refineries in New Mexico and Texas both shutting down for spring maintenance, hurting supplies to Arizona. said that it was This could happen every few years, he added, but it’s fairly unusual for both refineries to go down for maintenance at the same time. “This hit the local supply side hard,” he says.

But it’s not just the refineries that are to blame. Another factor affecting supply is the oil market. OPEC, which consists of the world’s top oil producers, recently cut oil supplies, driving up prices around the world. “Between those two things, the Arizona gas market has taken a big hit,” Paredes said.

It costs a lot of money for motorists in big cities

AAA spokesman Julian Paredes said, “Maricopa County gets gas from California, so the prices are usually higher in Phoenix.” (Photo credit: Alexandra Aley/Cronkite News)

Prices are high across the state, but Maricopa and Pima counties are more affected than others.

“Maricopa County gets its gas from California, so it’s usually more expensive in Phoenix,” Paredes explained. Pima County, on the other hand, gets gas from Texas, so prices are “traditionally much cheaper.” However, due to the refinery issue, “gasoline prices are about the same in Maricopa and Pima counties, so it’s probably going to be a big shock to people in Pima counties.”

Prices may go down, or even go down

Paredes said there was some good news. “Domestic gas prices have actually fallen for about a week and oil markets have actually stabilized recently.”

If all goes according to plan and refineries reopen, usually before Memorial Day, Arizona’s oil and gas markets could “fall or at least stabilize,” he said. rice field.

But don’t get your hopes up.

“Gasoline demand is usually higher in the summer anyway, so it’s hard to say,” he said.