Pictured is a gas pump.
Gas prices in Houston are up 30 cents on average as oil markets in the U.S. and around the world react to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran last weekend.
According to AAA, the average price for regular unleaded fuel in Houston since has risen from $2.48 to $2.78 per gallon. Over the past month, Houston prices are up $0.35 per gallon. Diesel prices have also risen over the past week, climbing from $3.17 to $3.62, according to AAA. In the past day alone, AAA said diesel has risen $0.15 per gallon.
Daniel Armbruster, a AAA Texas spokesperson, told Houston Public Media on Thursday the increase in prices isn’t as dramatic when looking at year-over-year prices.
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“Now, when you look at it over the past few weeks, it does look like a big jump in price,” Armbruster said. “When you compare it to a year ago, the price is about 12 cents higher.”
Prices in Houston are still lower than the state and national averages, which as of Thursday were at $2.87 and $3.25 per gallon, respectively, for regular unleaded, according to AAA.
Armbruster said the rise in prices comes just as people are preparing to travel for spring break.
“I think at this point, for the most part, when you look at it year-over-year, prices are just slightly higher. I’m not sure that many people will make plans or change their plans,” he said. “But certainly, some folks may decide to stay closer to home.”
In the past five days, crude oil prices have risen nearly $9 per barrel, from $72.50 per barrel to more than $81 per barrel on Thursday. That’s the highest price since July 2024, according to Yahoo Finance.
Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported that Iran struck energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia while also disrupting tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of all oil traded globally passes through.
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Iran and Saudi Arabia are both members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which plays a key role in determining global oil prices. OPEC+ includes non-OPEC members that typically voluntarily participate in OPEC’s supply cuts or increases.
International production will likely increase soon, but Armbruster said it’s too early to tell when prices may come down.
“OPEC+ has noted that they may come out with more production and put more supply onto the global market,” he said. “That could certainly bring some relief as far as crude oil prices go. Crude oil is the main ingredient in fuel. If the price of crude continues to climb, we’ll likely see retail gas prices climb.”
According to AAA, the highest gas prices ever recorded in Houston were $4.68 per gallon of regular unleaded and $5.24 per gallon of diesel during March 2022 — shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Houston Public Media’s Thomas Perumean contributed to this report.