Gas prices take another upward swing

    Gas prices in Nebraska have risen another 9.2 cents a gallon, hitting an averaging $2.56 this week, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,150 stations in Nebraska.
    A price of $2.29/g was the cheapest price found in the state this week, while the most expensive found was $3.09, or an 80 cent different.  
    The national average price of gasoline rose 10.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.63, which is up 24.2 cents from a month ago and stands 15.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
    In Nebraska, gas prices this week are 24.9 cents higher than a month ago, and are 14.7 cents higher than February 2020.
    “With last week’s extreme cold shutting down millions of barrels per day in refinery capacity, gas prices have seen their largest weekly climb in quite some time,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
    He said the jump in price was the result of a dozen or so refineries, primarily in Texas, that were forced to shut down as the frigid temperatures threatened to wreak havoc on their exposed equipment.
    “With the cold weather behind us, price increases should begin to slow later this week or next week, and so long as these refineries get back online in short order, we may see gas prices start to move back down in the next couple of weeks,” DeHaan said.
    However, as spring weather nears, it’s possible a longer term rise in prices will begin as refineries start to transition to summer gasoline, he believes.
    “So motorists shouldn’t jump for joy just yet,” he said.