Gas prices in Vegas might not drop until cheaper winter blend arrives
Las Vegas gas prices that have steadily crept upward much of the summer may not head downward until the cheaper winter blend is available, says a petroleum analyst.
The average gas price for regular in Las Vegas ticked up to $4.299 as of noon Thursday, a shade above Wednesday’s average price of $4.297, according to GasBuddy.com. Prices have risen 8.9 cents a gallon in the past week and 17.8 cents over the past month.
But a hurricane approaching Southern California has the potential, albeit remote, to disrupt the market should a refinery be damaged.
“I’m hopeful that increases will potentially slow down soon and we may see prices then start itching back down,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “I’m mindful that a hurricane could pose an impact to gas prices, so that remains a wild card. We also transition back to cheaper winter gasoline in mid-September, so that should help provide some downward momentum as well.”
The average price of regular in Las Vegas is down 57.7 cents a gallon from a year ago.
In the Reno area, the Thursday average was $4.646 a gallon, down 22 cents from Wednesday, but up 3.1 cents for the week and 20.2 cents for the past month.
In Los Angeles, the average price for a gallon of regular was $5.22. San Bernardino County was averaging $5.12 a gallon.
The average U.S. price Thursday was $3.84 a gallon, down from the all-time high of $5.02 a gallon in early June 2022, which is when the average Las Vegas price reached a record $5.60 a gallon.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on X.
