After dropping or holding steady most of the summer, gas prices are on the rise nationally — but remain mostly unchanged in Western New York.
The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline is now $2.16 per gallon, up four cents from last week. The New York State average is $2.30 per gallon, up one cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.72. Locally, the price of gas dropped a penny to $2.27 in Buffalo and remained unchanged in Rochester at $2.24 per gallon.
Oil prices have been swaying over the past week, which impacts prices at the pump. A large spike in gas prices is not expected in the near future. In fact, gas prices could dip below $2.00 per gallon nationally once the summer driving season is complete. However, a major market-moving event, like a hurricane or increasing crude oil costs, is not out of the question and could still offset this decline and drive prices higher.
Refineries will begin to switch to the less-expensive winter-blend gasoline in mid-September.
