Flint Gas Prices Surge Nearly $1 in a Month

If you’ve pulled into a gas station anywhere around Flint or Genesee County in the last few days, you probably had the same reaction a lot of drivers are having right now. ‘Wait… when did gas jump that much?’

Why Gas Prices Are Suddenly Rising Again

Back on Friday morning, March 7, oil prices started climbing fast after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. That conflict quickly spread across the Middle East, and the bigger issue for the global economy isn’t just the fighting, it’s where the fighting is happening according to MLive.

A huge percentage of the world’s oil supply normally moves through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route in the Persian Gulf. When tensions rise there, oil markets get nervous in a hurry.

Middle East Conflict Sends Oil Prices Higher

Within days, oil prices shot past $90 a barrel. That was about a 36 percent jump in just one week. And when oil spikes like that, it doesn’t take long before it shows up at the pump.

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As of March 7, the national average price for gasoline had already climbed to around $3.41 per gallon. Fast forward to Monday morning, March 9, and Michigan drivers are now paying about $3.55 a gallon on average. That’s 56 cents higher than just a week ago.

Flint Drivers Seeing the Biggest Local Impact

Here in Flint, the jump has been even more noticeable. According to AAA, the average price for regular gas in Flint is now about $3.64 a gallon. Just a week ago it was sitting at $2.96. A month ago it was closer to $2.72. That’s nearly a full dollar increase in about a month.

And the frustrating part is that even though the U.S. produces a lot of oil, gas prices here are still tied to the global market. If supply gets disrupted halfway around the world, drivers in Genesee County end up feeling it pretty quickly.
Experts say if oil prices keep climbing, gas prices could keep going up too. So unfortunately, this might not be the end of it.