By Elizabeth Pattman

Staff writer

As spring temperatures rise, so does the price for a gallon of gasoline.  

On Tuesday, prices ranged from $2.43 per gallon at the 7-Eleven on West Main Street in Smithfield and Benn’s Church Boulevard to $2.49 at the BP on South Church Street and CITGO on Brewer’s Neck Boulevard, according to Gasbuddy, an online gasoline price finder. 

Across Virginia, motorists have seen an 11-cent increase in less than two weeks, with an average of $2.47 a gallon — 34-cents higher than the same time last year, according to Tidewater Virginia AAA.{mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

So far, however, there haven’t been any customer complaints, according to a BP employee in Smithfield.

In the Hampton Roads area, the average for a gallon of regular gas at the start of the week was sitting at $2.48 a gallon, which is 13 cents more than two weeks ago and a 36-cent difference from last year, according to AAA’s statement. 

Virginia is not alone, as 49 other states have reported similar increases as the market continues to remove winter-blend gasoline in favor of summer storage, according to AAA. The national average, at $2.66 a gallon, is 5 cents higher on the week and 11 cents higher than two weeks ago, according to AAA.

“Only 38 percent of U.S. gas stations are selling gasoline for $2.50 or less and that percentage will likely dwindle in coming weeks,” said AAA spokesperson Georjeane Blumling with Tidewater Virginia AAA. 

“The holiday weekend, strong demand and preparation for summer gasoline are all factors that have driven and will continue to drive higher gas prices into early spring,” she said.

In spite of price fluctuations, gasoline demand fell to its lowest point in March, according to Energy Information Administration data. If this week’s EIA report shows that global crude supplies may be on the rise again, prices may move lower, according to AAA.  {/mprestriction}