LAS VEGAS - As summer driving season approaches, Nevada motorists are experiencing relatively less pain at the pump, with almost all metro areas registering slight increases from the last month's gas prices, according to the AAA Nevada monthly gas survey.
The average price in Nevada for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.60 a gallon, an increase of 1 cent from the last AAA gas price release of May 14. A year ago, Nevada's state average was $3.83 a gallon.
North Las Vegas has the Silver State's lowest pump price found in metro areas tracked by AAA, where drivers are paying an average price of $3.45. The highest priced and most prominent jump in gas is registered in Elko, at $3.93 for a gallon of unleaded regular gas, a $21-cent increase from last month.
"Statewide prices are expected to remain relatively the same through June, barring any unforeseen event," said Cynthia Harris, AAA Nevada Spokesperson. "Increased refinery production, steady crude oil prices, and less demand by consumers are the factors driving this trend."
Drivers in 25 states and Washington, D.C., have seen prices increase over the past week. This group is led by sharply higher prices in several Great Lakes States, including jumps of at least 8 cents per gallon.
While prices may tick higher in the next few days, AAA continues to expect lower prices, both nationally and in the Great Lakes region, as June continues. Prices should drop below a national average by the end of the month if refineries, particularly those in the Great Lakes, can transition smoothly from ongoing maintenance to full production.
National gasoline markets have been driven by regional supply and production issues and not by West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices, which traded within a narrow $5 range in May.
The highest average price of gas, in the nation's metro areas that AAA tracks, is in Wailuku, Hawaii. The price there is $4.58 per gallon. The lowest is in Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson in South Carolina, where the price is $3.18 per gallon.[[In-content Ad]]
