LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Despite hints that gasoline prices could start to fall in the coming months, prices are up again this week in Las Vegas with the average hitting $5.21 per gallon.
Forecasts by AAA and GasBuddy indicate lower prices are on the way “in the weeks ahead.” But until oil prices come down, Las Vegas drivers will probably be wondering when the national trend will arrive here.
Prices are already starting to move, with one Sinclair station in Las Vegas currently listing a price of $4.29 per gallon. Sinclair, Albertsons and Circle K all have locations in the valley selling for less than Sam’s Club and Costco, according to gasbuddy.com, which bases its average prices on a survey of 649 stations in Las Vegas.
“While this week saw average gasoline prices moving higher again in the West, most of the nation saw a noticeable decline in gasoline prices. However, with California allowing the transition to winter gasoline to begin immediately, easing supply concerns, we’re likely to see nearly the entire country see gasoline prices trend lower in the week ahead,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“California should quickly see prices fall back below $6, and once all refinery snags are addressed and maintenance complete, I would not be surprised to see prices even fall below $5 there later this year,” he said.
“Areas of Arizona, Las Vegas and Reno could fall back below $4 by the end of the year as well,” according to De Haan.
That would be great news for drivers who are paying about 9 cents a gallon more than they were a week ago — and 78 cents more than a month ago.
Nationwide, gas prices fell by 3.5 cents compared to last week, averaging $3.77 per gallon. The national average price of diesel has fallen 0.7 cents in the last week and stands at $4.52 per gallon.
The spike over the past month has been on the West Coast, with average prices nationwide only a few cents below where they were a month ago. Gas prices went above $6 per gallon this week in Riverside ($6.04) and San Bernardino ($6.06).
Statewide, Nevada’s prices were up by 9.1 cents this week, averaging $5.10 per gallon. The cheapest gas in the state was in northeast Nevada along Interstate 80.
