Gas prices continue climbing across Montana, nation

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) The national average for gasoline in the U.S. rose to $3.53 per gallon on Tuesday while prices across Montana continued to climb.

The average price in Montana on Tuesday topped $3.18 per gallon, up from $3.09 on March 7 and $2.66 on December 31. The national average was $3.25 per gallon on March 5, according to AAA.

Drivers in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois experienced the highest prices in the Midwest and eastern U.S., with average retail prices ranging from $3.52 to nearly $3.60 for a gallon of regular gas.

Western states, which tend to pay higher gas prices already, saw an average gallon of regular surpass $4. California topped the nation’s list at $5.20 per gallon.

The price to fill up in Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma remained the lowest, hovering between $2.92 to $2.99. That’s up from a week ago when prices averaged $2.47 in Oklahoma, $2.57 in Kansas and $2.61 in Arkansas.

The jump in prices is among “fastest rates in years.”

“In just a week, consumers have seen gasoline prices surge at one of the fastest rates in years after oil prices spiked following U.S. strikes on Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” said De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

States Newsroom contributed to a portion of this story.