Springfield gas prices hold below Missouri average

Springfield’s gas prices this morning were well below the state average, which increased alongside national figures during the past week.

This morning, Springfieldians could purchase gas for as low as $2.03 per gallon at a handful of filling stations. Prices elsewhere in the Queen City ranged from $2.04 to $2.09 per gallon, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

In Missouri, prices rose 4.6 cents per gallon for the week ended yesterday to $2.11 per gallon. They were up another 9 cents this morning, according to GasBuddy.com, ranking the state 12th in the nation in gas prices. National prices rose 2.1 cents to an average of $2.33 per gallon on Aug. 6.

"For the third-straight week, gasoline prices have accelerated with the national average at its highest level in over eight weeks, driven by rising oil prices as inventories continue to tighten and concern over Venezuela lingers," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, in a news release. "Looking behind us, however, gas prices have remained in a relatively tight range for the last year.

“While we're likely to see gas prices continuing to move higher in the week ahead as they catch up to oil, we're unlikely to break out of the well-established rut in the national average, which has kept prices between $2.12 and $2.42 for the last 15 months."