Mainers, Nation To Brace for Rising Gas Prices

According to GasBuddy.com, the extreme cold weather in the south will lead to higher prices in Maine and nationwide in the days to come.

It is being reported that we might see a 10-cent to 20-cent per gallon increase from a lower output of gasoline due to a fifth of United States refineries being offline due to the extreme cold.

We are likely to see the effects of the decreased amount of oil product in the next two weeks.

Nationwide, the average for a gallon of gas is $2.54.  The increase would put the national average up to $2.64 - $2.74 per gallon.

According to AAA.com, Maine nearly hits that nationwide average with $2.53 per gallon with regular and 2.83 for mid-grade.

If prices reach this level, it'll be the first time in five years that we'll see that cost at the gas pump for "seasonal prices", according to GasBuddy.

How long the Maine and the rest of the nation sees higher gas prices depends on if more refineries shut down due to the cold weather as well as how long the stay idle.

Luckily for Maine, these gas increases may not effect us too much but, will hit Southern states like Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and up the east coast to New Jersey, harder in the wallet -- and do so for weeks to come, even if production is back at 100%.

Not only is this going to affect gas prices for 2021 but, GasBuddy.com is also predicting that we will probably be seeing $3 per gallon again closer to Memorial Day weekend because of changes in EPA mandates.