CINCINNATI — Gasoline prices typically start to drop after the Memorial Day holiday. After all, most people are done with their holiday travel, and demand drops off for a couple of weeks.
But this is no typical year.
Cincinnati area gas prices are moving up to $4.79 for unleaded at most stations, after Europe this week agreed to boycott most Russian oil, sending oil prices sharply higher.
But some stations are even higher.
We found a Marathon station on Loveland-Madeira Road, and a Shell at Union Center Boulevard and I-75 raising their prices to $4.99, which is essentially $5 a gallon.
All this means an SUV or pickup fill-up can now cost $100 or more.
This is the highest price ever in the Tri State. The previous high was $4.39 a gallon, which was hit last week, just before the Memorial Day weekend.
Over $2 More A Gallon Than Pandemic Prices
It is a sharp contrast from two years ago.
In March of 2020, as COVID-19 was shutting down everything, Cincinnati gas prices fell to $2.32, according to AAA. They dropped below $2 in the next couple of months, as drivers stayed off the road and oil companies had huge surpluses of gasoline.
If you are looking for cheaper gas, Northern Kentucky stations are about 10 cents lower, due to Kentucky's lower gas tax.
Ohio lawmakers have been debating suspending the state's 38 cent per gallon gas tax (one of the highest in the nation).
But as we reportedlast week, Governor DeWine has opposed the measure, as it will take money away from the state's highway repair fund, used to patch potholes and repave roads.
You can see a map of Cincinnati's current gas prices to find the cheapest near you onWCPO's interactive gas map here. Use the zoom feature to see prices near you.
As always, don't waste your money.
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