Winter storms affect Florida gas prices

Florida gas prices jumped last week thanks to arctic weather that swept through Texas and other states causing power outages that knocked refineries offline, according to the AAA Auto Club South.

In Marion County, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline rose to $2.61 on Tuesday, compared to $2.46 a week ago, according to AAA.

Much of Florida’s gasoline comes from refineries in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. But the region is also a major source of gasoline in the United States, accounting for more than 45% of total U.S. petroleum refining capacity. This storm reportedly impacted a little more than half of the refinery capacity in the Gulf Coast region.

While there is not a gasoline supply shortage, concerns over the reduction in gasoline production caused fuel prices to climb. Crude oil prices rose nearly 3% last week, reaching $61.14 per barrel.

Gas prices in Florida are at the highest daily average price since July 2019.

“This pump price hike is similar to what you’d expect if a hurricane struck the gulf coast region,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Just like the aftermath of a hurricane, workers are working to return to normal operations. Any reports of extended downtime or significant supply impacts could cause another round of rising prices.”

Daily gas price averages can be found at Gasprices.aaa.com