Tri-State Gas Prices on the Rise…in Sharp Contrast to a Year Ago

We're approaching the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic really kicking into high gear. Hard to believe it's been 12 months. Remember when last March felt seven years?

We were thrust into a whole new world, only because none of us had ever experienced anything like it before. And anyone who HAD didn't remember because they were infants. I'm talking, of course, about the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. And yes, there were a very few scattered throughout the country and the world who were there for it and here for this one.

The streets were quiet. The stores were closed. At the beginning, last year, it really did look like another post-apocalyptic thriller about to unfold at your local multiplex. Except none of us was going for popcorn.

Very eerie.

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And do you know what I considered to be among the eeriest of sights?

Yep, gas prices cratering to a level I hadn't seen since, maybe, the 1980s. I felt like I should've been pulling up to the pumps in my old '79 Impala.

But it made sense. We weren't driving so demand had dropped considerably, worldwide. Therefore, oil prices dropped.

But hang on to your hats, because the pendulum is currently swinging back in our direction. Earlier today, I was out on Highway 54 and saw a sign advertising gasoline for $2.59 a gallon.

I remember a time when that didn't seem outrageous and now it does.

According to GasBuddy.com, the average price for a gallon of regular in Kentucky has risen to $2.53. The Daviess County average is slightly lower at $2.51. Gas Buddy also tells us that gas prices are already up 35 cents from last year's average of $2.21.

At first, when I saw that price tag of $2.59, I was a little shocked, but the U.S. Energy Information Administration has a table on its website that indicates a steady rise in gas prices, actually since last May.

Interestingly, when we bottomed out last May, the national average was $1.88. Considering our gas prices at some locations dipped below a dollar, I'm guessing there were some areas who weren't as fortunate in this regard.

But I guess it makes sense. And some information I found at GasPrices.AAA.com offer a good explanation. And it seems like it's the same reasons that have always applied--higher demand and rising oil prices.

But for my money (no pun intended), it wouldn't hurt my feelings if we didn't get back to the $3.00 mark.

Those are some "good ol' days" I can do without.