ST. LOUIS — In the last week, gas prices have dropped 3.8 cents per gallon nationally, but in St. Louis the price at the pump is on the rise once again.
Even though gas prices in St. Louis are 4.7 cents higher than they were last week, according to a GasBuddy news release, they are still averaging 9.2 cents lower than they were a month ago.
According to the release, gas prices in the metro area range from $3.37 to $4.69 per gallon.
Meanwhile, Missouri's statewide average gas price remains unchanged from last week at $3.69 per gallon, the release said.
Illinois' statewide average is almost 1 cent higher than the previous week's report at $4.35.
“We've now seen the national average price of gasoline decline every week for the last month, a feat we most likely would not have expected ahead of summer and given the continued turns in Russia's war on Ukraine," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in the release.
De Haan also said the price per barrel of crude oil is $14 higher than last week. He attributed the rise in oil prices to the possibility of the European Union placing higher sanctions on Russia amid the Ukraine War.
"This could further tilt the delicate balance of supply and demand in the wrong way, potentially sending oil prices up significantly if implemented," he said of the sanctions. "The path forward at the pump remains murky, however, with many possible outcomes, so motorists should be prepared for a bumpy ride."
