Mo. gas average jumps 6 cents through Memorial Day

Missouri’s average gas price rose 6 cents through Memorial Day, outpacing the national increase of 3 cents.

The Show-Me State average was $2.13 per gallon this morning, ranking the state No. 8 on GasBuddy.com’s list of the lowest averages in the nation. At $2.08 per gallon, Mississippi was No. 1, while California was last at $2.81 per gallon.

The U.S. average was $2.32 per gallon this morning. The average on Memorial Day was lower than recent years. It was $2.49 per gallon in 2015 and ranged from $3.34 to $3.59 the four preceding years.

“The lowest gasoline prices in 11 years are greeting motorists hitting the road this summer,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, in the release. “Every single state in the nation is seeing lower gasoline and diesel prices than when we started summer last year. Going forward, much of the country will spend much of the summer in the ($2 range) for both gasoline and diesel.”

Three stations in Osage Beach had the lowest Missouri price today, at $1.92 per gallon. Three Springfield stations - both Sam’s Club stores and a Cenex station at 820 E. Battlefield Road - tied for second at $1.94 per gallon.

West Texas intermediate crude oil was trading at $49.87 per barrel as of 9:11 a.m., compared to a 52-week range of $31.61 to $63.90. Light sweet crude futures for July were trading at $49.87 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.