Gasoline now costs more than $4 per gallon at some local stations, thanks to an overnight price spike of about 13 cents per gallon.
The abrupt jump, after weeks of steady price increases, is something not usually seen, even in times of economic uncertainty.
“That’s very drastic and a direct reflection of oil prices spiking,” said AAA spokesman Jim Garrity.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Pennsylvania reached $4 per gallon Friday morning, and gas stations already were changing prices before lunchtime.
Counties at or slightly above $4 were mainly in eastern Pennsylvania. The averages in the Pittsburgh area ranged between $3.91 in Armstrong County and $3.97 in Allegheny and Butler counties, AAA was reporting.
But prices of $4 and higher have arrived around Pittsburgh and the Alle-Kiski Valley.
The price at a Valero station on Constitution Boulevard in New Kensington was $4 per gallon when Alyshia Grazier, 20, of Tarentum fueled her SUV Friday morning. Shortly after, around 10:30 a.m., the price changed to $4.10.
A student with a limited income, Grazier fears prices may reach $5 per gallon.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Grazier said. “I’m worried that, if it gets worse, I’m not going to be leaving my house.”
A Valero station on Pennsylvania Avenue at Brighton Road on Pittsburgh’s North Side was showing a price of $4.06 for regular unleaded in the morning.
By Friday afternoon, a price of $4.15 per gallon was spotted at a Sunoco station in Leechburg.
The average price in Pennsylvania on Thursday was about $3.88. That was up 26 cents from a week ago.
On Thursday, AAA said an increase in demand for gas along with a reduction in oil supply are contributing to price increases. Oil prices are surging as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine brings uncertainty to the market.
The national average on Friday was about $3.84, up about 11 cents from Thursday and about 27 cents from a week ago, according to AAA.
The highest recorded national average was $4.11 in July 2008.
The Pittsburgh area recorded its highest average a month earlier that year, reaching $4.05 in June 2008, according to AAA.
