Cincinnati drivers got hit with a nasty surprise at the pump Friday: the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline jumped more than 40 cents overnight, landing at $4.39. The spike came even though Ohio's temporary gas tax suspension is still shaving a few cents off every fill-up.
AAA reported the overnight jump, and according to WLWT, that $4.39 average already includes the discount from the gas tax suspension that remains in place across Ohio. In other words, without the tax break, the pain at the pump would be even worse. The exact cause of the overnight surge wasn't immediately clear, but experts cited to WLWT pointed to the ongoing war with Iran, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and broader disruptions to oil and gas shipping lines as contributing factors.
Ohio's Tax Break Isn't Translating to Relief
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the 90-day gas tax suspension, a plan that temporarily eliminates the state's 38.5-cent gas tax and 47-cent diesel tax, according to the same WLWT report. The state estimated the move would cost $726 million in lost revenue, to be covered by a surplus in Ohio's general fund. But the relief hasn't been showing up the way drivers might have hoped.
As the station's report notes, gas prices soon rose after the tax holiday went into effect on October 4, leaving many motorists with little noticeable savings. GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan told the Dayton Daily News that current price increases are likely due to normal seasonal changes, with more to come shortly. He added that the gas tax holiday is reducing prices in Ohio, but seasonal changes along with larger factors are pushing them back up.
A Refinery Problem Rippling Across the Midwest
De Haan had also flagged that Ohio gas prices would probably see another cycling jump by Thursday, October 22, following a flaring event at Exxon Mobil's Joliet refinery in Illinois. That warning lines up with reporting from the Daily Caller, which quoted industry analyst Tom Kloza attributing regional overnight price increases to problems with a 50,000-barrel-per-day catalytic reformer at ExxonMobil's Joliet refinery in Illinois. ExxonMobil said it was working to resolve an operational issue at the refinery but did not offer a timeline for a fix, per the Daily Caller.
Wholesale gasoline prices in the region climbed another 25 cents a gallon later Thursday morning, Kloza reported. Separately, BOE Report noted that the Joliet disruption hit amid an already tight global fuel market, with conflict in the Middle East and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries putting added pressure on fuel supplies.
Neighboring States Feeling It Too
Cincinnati isn't alone in the squeeze. Gas prices also increased about 10 cents in Indiana, reaching $3.98 per gallon, and Kentucky saw a similar jump to $4.04, according to WLWT. The Daily Caller's figures, drawn from AAA data, showed regular gas prices rising roughly 10 cents a gallon in Ohio, 8 cents in Indiana and 6 cents in Kentucky from Wednesday to Thursday, while Michigan drivers were hit hardest, paying an average of $4.61 a gallon for regular versus a national average of $4.27.
The run-up isn't new for Ohio drivers this year. On October 20, statewide gas prices were running 96.5 cents higher than Ohio's 2025 average, the Dayton Daily News reported, while Michigan prices were up 152.7 cents compared to its own 2025 average. Back in May, Ohio's average gasoline price hit $4.78 per gallon, according to AAA, placing the state among the nation's ten most expensive gasoline markets at the time.
For now, the exact mix of causes behind Thursday's spike remains murky, but the combination of a hobbled Illinois refinery, seasonal pricing shifts and overseas conflict appears to be converging on Tri-State pumps at once. Whether Ohio's tax suspension will keep offering any cushion as prices keep climbing is something drivers across Cincinnati will be watching closely in the weeks ahead.
