CINCINNATI — As crude oil prices rose to $114 a barrel this week, due mostly to production drops from China and Russia, gas prices nationwide are marching upward again.
In the Tri-State, that is causing prices to spike to $4.49 a gallon, a 10 cent jump from one week ago, when prices first hit $4.39 a gallon.
The price of premium gas and diesel fuel are now both over $5 a gallon in the Cincinnati area.
Both are all-time high prices for the region, and mean that a typical 20-gallon SUV or pickup fill-up can now cost over $80.
This is well above the previous highest price in the Cincinnati area, when gas hit $4.17 a gallon back in the summer of 2008 during the financial crisis.
High prices taking a toll
These latest price increases are really starting to take a toll on drivers, especially compared with a year or two ago.
In March of 2020, as COVID-19 was shutting down everything, Cincinnati gas prices fell to $2.32, according to AAA. That's more than two bucks a gallon lower than today's prices.
Some drivers are starting to cut back.
Vera Cole, pulling into the Rookwood Shell station in Norwood, said "It takes me over 60 bucks to fill my car, so wherever I can find the lowest price is where I am going, and not driving as much."
But Ben O'Donnell said he still needs to get to work, so had no choice but to pay $4.49.
"I still got to go to work, so I will be paying for that either way," he said.
Once again, Northern Kentucky stations remain slightly lower, with most at $4.39 or below.
You can see a map of Cincinnati's current gas prices 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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