While all eyes are on how it impacted Houston, which is still dealing with major flooding, Hurricane Harvey also led to a dramatic increase in gas prices in the Sunshine State.
On Monday, AAA released a report showing gas prices rose six cents over the past week with an average of $2.31 per gallon on Sunday. The national average stood at $2.36 per gallon on Sunday, up from $2.34 per gallon the week before.
With overnight trading showing gas rising an additional seven percent, Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA and the Auto Club Group, said on Monday that prices are expected to go higher and he pointed to the hurricane as the chief culprit as 20 percent of domestic production could be impacted.
"Hurricane Harvey hit a major supply line for gasoline in Florida and along the eastern seaboard," Jenkins said. "Multiple refineries and drilling rigs had to be evacuated ahead of the storm, and the Houston Ship Channel was closed.
"There remains a lot of uncertainty in the market," Jenkins added. "Uncertainty of the extent of the damages, and how long before operations are fully restored. Motorists should expect higher prices this week. It's still early know how much prices will rise, but a minimum of 10-30 cents would not be a surprise."
The West Palm-Beach and Boca Raton market continues to have the most expensive gas in Florida with an average of $2.40 per gallon followed by Tallahassee at $2.34 and Miami at $2.33. Jacksonville and Orlando have the least expensive gas with prices at the pump averaging $2.28 per gallon in both cities followed by the Tampa Bay area with an average of $2.29 per gallon in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market.
With Labor Day, the traditional end of summer celebrations, around the corner, average gas prices in Florida have ranged from a high of $2.47 per gallon in April to a low of $2.13 per gallon in the middle of July. So far this year, gas prices have been lower in Florida than across the nation. The highest national average was $2.42 per gallon back in April while the lowest was $2.23 per gallon at the start of July.
