Christmas 2021 is past but the holiday driving season continues this week as gas prices see another rise of 0.4 cents selling for an average of $3.78 per gallon in Yakima.
According to GasBuddy's daily survey of 91 stations in Yakima, prices in Yakima are unchanged from a month ago but prices are now $1.21 per gallon higher than just a year ago. Looking for cheap gas? According to GasBuddy the cheapest station is in Wapato selling gas for $3.23 per gallon. The lowest price in the state today is $3.19 per gallon while the highest is $4.39 per gallon.
On the national side the average price of gas is down 4.3 cents per gallon over the last week selling for an average of $3.25 per gallon. The national average is down 14.1 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.00 per gallon higher than a year ago.
"Nearly every state saw average gasoline prices decline last week as millions of Americans took to the road for holiday travel, with the national average now nearly 20 cents per gallon lower than in early November. While the fall in prices is welcomed, we set an ugly new record for the holiday- it was the most expensive Christmas Day we've ever seen by two tenths of a penny," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "The average on Christmas was $3.26 per gallon, just a fraction of a penny higher than Christmas Day 2013 which saw the national average at $3.26 per gallon. Motorists shouldn't get too worked up about it - the downward direction in gas prices should persist into this week in most areas. However, gas prices are likely to jump in the Great Lakes due to a behavior called price cycling, caused by a rise in the wholesale price of gasoline against a backdrop of prices in the region that have now fallen under replacement cost. This will trigger a likely jump in gas prices in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky very soon."
Historical gasoline prices in Yakima and the national average going back ten years: December 27, 2020: $2.57/g (U.S. Average: $2.25/g) December 27, 2019: $3.01/g (U.S. Average: $2.57/g) December 27, 2018: $2.95/g (U.S. Average: $2.29/g) December 27, 2017: $2.88/g (U.S. Average: $2.46/g) December 27, 2016: $2.56/g (U.S. Average: $2.29/g) December 27, 2015: $2.35/g (U.S. Average: $2.00/g) December 27, 2014: $2.49/g (U.S. Average: $2.29/g) December 27, 2013: $3.28/g (U.S. Average: $3.27/g) December 27, 2012: $3.30/g (U.S. Average: $3.26/g) December 27, 2011: $3.34/g (U.S. Average: $3.23/g)
Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Tacoma- $3.84/g, down 1.8 cents per gallon from last week's $3.86/g. Seattle- $3.99/g, down 3.3 cents per gallon from last week's $4.02/g. Washington- $3.80/g, down 4.6 cents per gallon from last week's $3.84/g.