Monitoring gas prices ahead of the Memorial Day weekend
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As we roll towards the Memorial Day weekend at the beginning of the summer driving season, where are gas prices going? Should you fill up today or wait?
KDKA's John Shumway went looking for gas advice.
With everything costing so much, this is small consolation, but right now, gas is almost $1 cheaper per gallon than we were paying going into Memorial Day last year.
Of course, that knowledge of savings is no solace as you pull up to savings, but it is solace that prices have been trending downwards.
"Prices have been moving down ahead of Memorial Day in Pittsburgh," said Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis for GasBuddy. "The average price is down three and a half cents so, not a huge drop, but a drop approaching the holiday nonetheless."
DeHaan says that the current average price around Pittsburgh is around $3.74 per gallon.
He says that it might not be a bad idea to fill up your tank sooner than later, however.
"Going into Memorial Day, prices may go up just a little bit," De Haan said.
He says that the price increases aren't because of the holiday weekend, but because oil prices are creeping up and if there's a debt ceiling agreement, the economy will be encouraged and more people will hit the road, increase gasoline demand.
As far as a mid-summer spike, De Haan says that we've already seen our peak for the year back in April.
If you're planning on traveling, De Haan says you can save some money by checking ahead using apps and sites like GasBuddy, Google, or Waze to check prices, especially before you cross state borders.
Here in Pittsburgh, De Haan expects that we'll stay in the mid-three-dollar range for most of the summer.
When traveling, you can expect to find cheaper gas in Ohio, parts of West Virginia, and in Virginia. If you're traveling east, don't expect to see lower prices in Pennsylvania, but prices will be lower in New Jersey.
