The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County was 5.4 cents from matching its record Thursday following an increase of 1.1 cents to $6.439, its highest amount since Oct. 7, 2022.
The average price has risen 44 consecutive days, increasing 79.7 cents, including six-tenths of a cent Wednesday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 15.7 cents more than one week ago, 68.5 cents higher than one month ago and $1.716 greater than one year ago.
The average price has increased $1.745 since the start of the joint U.S./Israel war on Iran on Feb. 28, which sent oil prices higher and drastically accelerated increases at the gas pump.
The record average price is $6.493 set Oct. 5, 2022.
The Orange County average price moved within 5.3 cents of matching its record following an increase of a half-cent to $6.405, its highest amount since Oct. 6, 2022. Its 42-day streak of increases totaling 83.2 cents ended Wednesday when it was unchanged.
The Orange County average price is 14 cents more than one week ago, 66.7 cents higher than one month ago and $1.709 greater than one year ago. It has increased $1.776 since the start of the war on Iran.
The Orange County record average price is $6.458 set Oct. 5, 2022.
The national average price dropped for the sixth consecutive day, decreasing 2.1 cents to $4.413. It has dropped 7.8 cents over the past six days, including 2.1 cents Wednesday. The decreases follow back-to-back increases totaling 1.7 cents.
The national average price is 6.9 cents less than one week ago but 31.8 cents more than one month ago and $1.253 higher than one year ago. It has increased $1.431 since the attack on Iran.
The Los Angeles County average price rose more than 2.2 cents per day over the past week, the Orange County average price rose 2 cents per day over the past week while the national average price dropped nearly 1 cent per day.
The national average price is at its highest amount this late in the calendar year, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations.