First Posted: 2/16/2015
LIMA — Prices at the pump are up again in Lima compared to last week and last month.
At $2.23 a gallon, prices were up 3.2 cents from last week and 25.6 cents from last month, according to prices reported by GasBuddy.com.
In the state as a whole, prices rose 5 cents a gallon in the past week, according to GasBuddy.com, bringing the average to $2.28 a gallon on Sunday.
Prices have risen even more nationally, increasing by 7.6 cents a gallon in the last week to $2.25 a gallon.
In the region, Auglaize and Hardin counties had the lowest gas price at $2.20. After that, Allen County rang in at $2.23 per gallon, then Mercer County’s prices averaged out at $2.26, Putnam County at $2.27, Van Wert County at $2.30 and Hancock County at $2.32.
Overall, prices were continuing to rise.
“Prices at the pump are starting to heat back up, mostly driven by a rebound in crude oil prices,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. “Nationally, almost nine in 10 stations is selling over $2 per gallon, while a month ago, less than half of stations were selling over that price.”
DeHaan calls the rise in prices the “typical seasonal rebound,” and states that it’s led by oil’s rebound. Consumers won’t see them go down again, they will continue to rise.
