What you're paying for gas right now in the Sacramento area may be the lowest you'll pay for the rest of the year.
Right now the average price for a gallon of gas in the Sacramento region is about $2.70.
"If you're not happy with $2.70 a gallon today you're certainly not going to be too pleased with $3.20 a gallon, which could be the new normal as we head towards May," says Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst for the gas-price tracking service GasBuddy.
McTeague says gas prices historically go up right before Memorial Day. As refineries switch to a more expensive summertime blend to reduce smog, they shut down units and work on maintenance.
In mid-February of 2012, the average price was $3.77. And it was $3.91 in 2013.
"We won't be back to where we were in 2012 or 2013," says McTeague. "But this could be certainly the most expensive fuel we've seen over the past few years."
Meanwhile, Chevron last week shut down production refineries in Richmond and El Segundo because of problems with production equipment and unplanned maintenance.
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