DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Gas prices have risen nearly 20 cents in two days, several weeks after a winter storm blew through the U.S.

According to the AAA, December’s frigid temperatures forced refineries as far south as Texas and the Gulf Coast to temporarily halt operations. This caused a supply issue the same week holiday travelers chose to hit the road early to beat the bad weather. These two factors caused overall gas demand to spike.  

“The cost of gas will likely rise a bit more before this surge stalls due to less expensive oil and a return to seasonal driving patterns,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But 2022 will go down as a record year with a national annual average of $3.96. According to fuel expert Tom Kloza of OPIS, that’s 40 to 50 cents more than the previous peak years of 2011 through 2014.”

In Ohio, gas prices rose an average of almost 20 cents in two days, the AAA website said. The state average for Regular Unleaded gas was $3.285 on Thursday, December 5. Two days earlier, it cost an average of $3.086 a gallon.  While Thursday’s prices are aligned with the national average, this 20-cent increase places Ohio in the top ten states for weekly price increases.

In the Dayton area specifically, prices rose from an average of $3.014 on Wednesday to an average of $3.195 on Thursday.

While prices are rising, they are still significantly lower than the record high set in June of 2022, when the Ohio average hit $5.065 a gallon.