The statewide gas price average in Texas for a gallon regular unleaded fuel on Saturday was reported at 1.98, according to AAA Texas.
Saturday’s price was roughly four cents higher than last Saturday but 34 cents lower than this time last year.
Drivers in Brownsville were paying the lowest average prices on Saturday, while the most expensive prices continue to be found in the Midland-Odessa area.
AAA Texas reported that average price for regular unleaded in Lubbock was $1.92 on Saturday.
GasBuddy.com was reporting a slightly lower average price on Saturday of $1.90 in Lubbock.
The national average price for regular unleaded was reported at $2.28 per gallon on Saturday. This price is two cents more than last week but 31 cents lower than one year ago.
“A winter storm packing very cold temperatures last week probably caused drivers, especially in the mid-west, to fill-up before its arrival. That kind of preparation more than likely drove up demand. This is similar to what we see prior to hurricanes,” said Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas/AAA New Mexico spokesperson in a news release. “Now that the storm has passed, demand is likely to fall more in-line with typical February estimates.”
The national gas price average increased as the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest demand rate reflected summer-like numbers, AAA Texas said.
For the week ending Jan 25, the EIA reported U.S. gasoline demand at 9.6 million barrels per day. The last time the rate was this high was during the 2018 Labor Day weekend.
