Gas national average $4.55 per gallon

AAA’s national average for regular gasoline stood at $4.555 a gallon on Wednesday, according to the group’s daily fuel tracker. The increase came as Memorial Day travel begins, with AAA projecting a record 39.1 million Americans will travel by car between Thursday, May 21, and Monday, May 25. USA Today reported the national average was about $4.50 a gallon and said one analyst expected prices could rise again before the holiday weekend. ### Why are drivers seeing $4.55 now? AAA’s Wednesday reading put the national average at $4.555, up from $4.533 a day earlier and near recent highs. The organization’s state-by-state data showed the highest regular-gas averages in California at $6.145, Washington at $5.789 and Hawaii at $5.648, while several Southern states remained closer to $4 a gallon. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA said earlier this month that the national average had risen 25 cents for a second straight week to $4.55, leaving pump prices $1.40 higher than a year earlier. That May 7 market update said prices were at their highest level since the summer of 2022. ### How much of this is about Memorial Day travel? AAA said 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day period, with 39.1 million of them going by car. (gasprices.aaa.com) Stacey Barber, AAA Travel’s vice president, said in the group’s forecast that Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and remains a major travel weekend for U.S. households. (gasprices.aaa.com) Driving accounts for 87% of Memorial Day travelers, according to AAA Mid States. That regional forecast also said drivers are paying more than they did a year ago, when the national average for regular gasoline was $3.17 on Memorial Day. ### Are all parts of the country paying the same price? California’s $6.145 average on Wednesday was more than $2 above the national figure, while Texas was at $4.038 and Georgia at $4.006, according to AAA. (newsroom.aaa.com) Illinois was above $5 at $5.033, and Florida was at $4.521. Those gaps show how refining constraints, fuel specifications, taxes and local supply conditions can leave motorists facing very different prices even when the national average moves by only a few cents. (midstates.aaa.com) AAA’s published averages are updated daily and cover regular, mid-grade, premium and diesel. ### What are other outlets and analysts saying? (gasprices.aaa.com) USA Today reported on May 19 that the national average was holding around $4.50 a gallon and cited an analyst who said prices could rise again ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The Washington Examiner separately reported on May 20 that fuel costs were creeping up again days before the holiday. (gasprices.aaa.com) AAA’s own fuel page linked Wednesday’s price action to a note titled “Little Relief for Drivers as National Average Dips then Rises Again.” The group’s live tracker did not provide a longer written explanation in the snapshot available through search, but its posted figures showed the day-to-day increase. ### What should drivers watch next? (usatoday.com) Thursday, May 21, is the start of AAA’s Memorial Day travel window, and the group’s daily fuel tracker will show whether the national average moves above Wednesday’s $4.555 reading. The most closely watched figures through Monday, May 25, will be the national average, large-state prices such as California and Texas, and whether the record 39.1 million projected drivers translate into further gains at the pump. (gasprices.aaa.com)