Mo. gas prices nudge up

As the holiday season kicks off, gas prices are on the rise, but still remain below last year’s averages.

The Missouri gas average rose 3.3 cents during the past week to $2.08 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of nearly 4,000 filling stations throughout the state. That’s 70.3 cents per gallon lower than this time last year and 16.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago.

The national average bumped up 2.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.22 a gallon. Overall, the national gas rate stands 70.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, losing 10.5 cents per gallon during the last month.

“Motorists were hit with rising gas prices in 33 of the nation’s 50 states, catching up with recent increases in crude oil prices,” said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst, in a news release. “While we’ll see lower gasoline prices return to much of the country in the weeks ahead, these types of isolated blips in gasoline prices do occasionally happen during times when crude oil prices are volatile.”

Missouri ranked No. 12 this morning on GasBuddy’s list of the lowest averages in the nation. With its $1.93 average, South Carolina topped the list, while Hawaii was at the bottom with its $2.89 average.

In Missouri, the lowest price for gas this morning was $1.84 per gallon, available at three stations in Crystal City, Herculaneum and Joplin. The highest price, $2.39 per gallon, was at a station in Maplewood, according to MissouriGasPrices.com

Springfieldians could buy gas for as low as $1.89 per gallon at the Sam’s Club, 745 W. El Camino Alto St. 

As of 9:01 a.m., West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $44.11 per barrel, compared to a 52-week range of $39.22 to $80.33.