(T.Center Square) – Gas prices are above $5 in some areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area as they are expected to rise again this summer.
Across Arizona, the average AAA price is $4.55, but in rural southern Arizona, such as Yuma, Cochise, and Graham counties, the average price is still below $4.
However, the Maricopa County average is $4.83 per gallon for regular, which is higher than last week’s average.
Some of the highest prices are found in wealthier communities like Scottsdale, where Monday prices average $4.96. That’s slightly higher than in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area of California, where drivers averaged $4.95 per gallon on Mondays.
Gasoline summer blends are more expensive than winter blends, which partly explains why prices are rising again.
“Once oil prices rise above $80 a barrel, there will be a lot of upward pressure on what we pay to pump. AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a statement last week.
For Phoenix, the average is $4.80, the same as the West Valley as a whole.
For northern Arizona, Prescott is much cheaper than Phoenix, at $4.25 and $4.33 in Flagstaff.
The national average is much lower than Arizona and California, nearly a dollar lower at $3.67.
