Soaring gasoline prices in Denver during the past week put the average cost of a gallon of gas on Sunday 15.8 cents higher than at the same time last year.
Average retail gasoline prices in Denver rose 8.7 cents a gallon in the past week, averaging $3.10 Sunday, according to daily survey of 844 gas outlets in Denver.
Not only was the price almost 16 cents higher than last year, but it cost 5.1 cents a gallon more than last month.
However, the cost of a gallon of gasoline in Denver was 19 cents cheaper than the national average of $3.29 Sunday.
Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, said sub-$3-a-gallon gas has nearly dried up nationwide.
“As of late Sunday night, zero states were seeing their averages under $3 a gallon,” he said.
He said that as a new year rolls in, this type of price hike is not uncommon but should not last.
“The trend won’t last forever, as January and February feature generally weak demand that should limit increases and keep prices relatively moderate,” said DeHaan.
GasBuddy operates and more than 250 similar websites that track gasoline prices at more than 140,000 gasoline stations in the United States and Canada.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or twitter.com/howardpankratz
