Gasoline Prices Hit $2.69, Then Recede

Aug. 16–Rochester gasoline prices set another record Monday, climbing to an unprecedented $2.69 per gallon.

This is the third price increase at local pumps in the past seven days. Consequently, some drivers are paying nearly 50 cents more per gallon than one week ago. It cost $33 to fill a 15-gallon tank Aug. 7. That same purchase Monday cost $40.35.

“That’s ridiculous,” said AAA spokeswoman Dawn Duffy. “But on the other hand, we’re still driving.”

Duffy said the demand for gasoline nationally is 2.5 percent higher than last summer. Although many drivers are complaining about gas prices, she said, few are actually changing their driving habits. Rochester has seen gasoline prices rise to record levels seven times this year. The first was $2.09 per gallon on March 3. The price hit $2.14 on March 23, $2.29 on April 5, and $2.39 on July 8. Stations were charging $2.20 per gallon before prices jumped to $2.49 on Aug. 8. That increase was followed by price jumps to $2.55 on Friday and $2.69 on Monday. Prices this morning had dropped to about $2.55 per gallon. Duffy said it’s possible that prices could fall after Labor Day, which marks the end of the busy driving season.

“It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the month after Labor Day,” she said. “I don’t wanna take a guess that it’ll go down, but my fingers are crossed for that.”

According to the Daily Fuel Gauge Report, a AAA roundup that tracks gas prices, the average price of all gas sold Monday in Rochester was $2.47 per gallon. The price in Minneapolis was $2.50 per gallon and $2.47 in Duluth and St. Cloud.

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