Hurricane fears push gas prices up in Charlotte, rest of U.S. over the month

Gas prices in the Charlotte region and the rest of the U.S. have been inching up over the last few weeks because of rising oil prices, as well as uncertainty over Hurricane Hermine’s impact on Gulf Coast refineries.

In a statement this week, auto group AAA said when it became clear that Hermine wouldn’t disrupt oil production, gas prices quickly dropped last week and over the busy Labor Day weekend.

As of early Wednesday, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in the Charlotte area was $2.05, up 10 cents from a month ago, according to AAA. In North Carolina, the average price was $2.08, up 9 cents from a month ago.

South Carolina remains one of the cheapest states in the country in which to fuel up. There, the average price is $1.94, up about 12 cents from a month ago. Nationally, the average price is $2.19, up 7 cents over the month.

Lower demand in the coming months, as well as the changeover to cheaper-to-produce winter-blend gasoline, will probably mean prices will steadily drop over the next few months, AAA said.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Hurricane fears push gas prices up in Charlotte, rest of U.S. over the month."