As motorists in San Antonio gear up for the tail end of spring break, they're getting hit with a sudden spike in gas prices. The latest figures released by AAA Texas show the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel in the city has hit $2.99, an inconvenient increase of 13 cents from just a week ago. KSAT reports that surrounding counties, including Comal and Guadalupe, are also feeling the pinch, with averages hovering around the same price point.
The spike couldn't have come at a more inopportune moment; the Lone Star State has seen its average gas prices stay below the $3 threshold since late October of last year, according to KSAT. Now, the state average sits modestly higher at $3.04 per gallon. The most expensive gas can be found in El Paso, where the average is $3.43 per gallon, whereas McAllen boasts the cheapest, with prices as low as $2.89 per gallon.
Daniel Armbruster, spokesperson for AAA Texas, has attributed the price hike to increasing demand associated with March's spring break travel. "With Spring Break travel underway, there’s more pressure on fuel demand which could cause prices to further increase over the next week," Armbruster told KSAT.
Despite the current upward trend, the year has not reached the record highs of spring break 2022, when the prices were nearly $4 a gallon. Meanwhile, earlier signals of lower prices in the Alamo City were fleeting, with KTSA reporting a 10-cent drop from the previous week. However, if demand continues as is and supplies tighten, Texas drivers may need to brace themselves for further increases.
On the national front, drivers across the U.S. are contending with an average gas price of $3.41 per gallon, which is just one cent higher than last week and six cents cheaper than this time last year, suggesting a relatively stable national market despite localized variances that are felt in Texas during spring break season.
