South Carolina gas prices are expected to rise within the next few weeks

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - With the spring season approaching , temperatures aren’t the only thing expected to rise, gas prices are also increasing.

AAA reports the national average for regular gasoline is $2.98 a gallon.

In South Carolina, the average is $2.69 a gallon which is 29 cents below the national average and 13 cents less than it was a year ago.

The cheapest gas in the state is currently $2.20 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.

Prices are expected to climb through mid-April.

“Gas prices are starting to go up across most of the country over the last week. 42 out of the nation’s 50 states are rising, a lot of it has to do with seasonal trends,” Gas Buddy Petroleum Analyst Patrick De Haan said.

De Haan says we are starting to see an increase in gas prices because summer gasoline is normally more expensive, and the transition from winter to summer blend will take about eight weeks.

“Gas prices typically rise anywhere from 25 to 50 cents between late February and about mid-April, that’s usually when prices peak. That’s probably going to mean Myrtle Beach gas prices increase from where they are today, $2.56 a gallon,” De Haan said.

De Haan noted that prices can vary significantly within a single state.

“There’s a pretty wide departure between the lowest prices and the highest prices. That’s also pretty typical, in the average state prices may vary by 60 to 80 cents a gallon. So, if you’re hitting the road for spring break certainly downloading an app that’ll show you prices certainly can help reduce your costs,” De Haan said.

A few drivers in Myrtle Beach said they aren’t worried about the rising prices.

“I think it’s finally coming back down. It was down to $2.25 or $2.28 it went up a little bit, I’m not sure if it’s because of Iran or Iraq, who knows,” Local driver David Sheppard said.

“Gas prices are great right now. I just visited my home state, Maryland and it’s a lot higher, so we think we’re getting off great down here,” Local driver Steven Pfister said.

“We’ll i’m comfortable with them, you know they go up and down, but I don’t see anything wrong with the prices right now,” Local driver Larry Ketron said.

De Haan said Sunday is generally the best day of the week to fill up, while Wednesday is typically the worst.

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