First Posted: 1/26/2015
LIMA — Gas prices are still declining from week to week in Lima.
Prices on Monday were down 8.3 cents from last week’s average, but they have risen 6.2 cents from Sunday to $1.83 per gallon, according to prices reported by GasBuddy.com.
Analysts from GasBuddy said prices will rise to and stay at a national average of $1.99 per gallon.
“This is the week that we’ll see the return to a national average of $1.99 per gallon, but motorists shouldn’t expect it to last very long,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. “Refineries have been processing less crude oil and thus producing less gasoline, which will contribute to a soft bottoming out of the national average before a small recovery back in the very low $2’s.”
In Lima, last month’s average was $1.98, 7.8 cents more than Monday’s morning benchmark.
In Ohio, prices were up 1.9 cents per gallon, and down 8.5 cents from last week and 17.5 cents from last month.
Locally, prices were lowest in Auglaize County at $1.82 per gallon and Allen County ($1.83). After that, the lowest could be found in Hardin County ($1.85), Mercer County ($1.86), Putnam County ($1.87) and Hancock County ($1.92).
Though prices may top out over $2, they still will be lower than last year’s prices, DeHaan said.
“We’ll be subject to a seasonal lift in gasoline prices as refineries slow production to do maintenance and to make the progressive switch over to cleaner burning summer gasoline,” he said. “Last year’s lift began the second week of February and saw the upward trend last until the beginning of May, during which, the national average saw a rise of 35 cents a gallon. This year we’re expecting a similar rise, though the previous few years the rise has averaged 30 to 65 cents per gallon.”
