Gas prices continue to rise after tumultuous year

MOSES LAKE — Washington gas prices surged past $5 per gallon this week, capping a year-long climb that has erased months of relief at the pump.  

As of March 30, the statewide average for regular gasoline sits at $5.33 per gallon, according to AAA data. That’s up from $5.27 a week earlier and $4.37 at the beginning of March. Nationally, prices have also seen around a $1 impact, reaching $3.99 this week after starting the month at $3.00. 

With the national average still below $4 but rising, Washington’s gap over the rest of the country has widened again – from about $1 in January to more than $1.30 this week. 

Locally, Grant County’s average price rose to $5.10 per gallon, up from $5.01 on March 23 and $4.12 on March 2. Adams County climbed to $5.07, compared with $4.98 a week ago and $4.22 at the start of the month.  

“Gasoline and diesel prices continue to climb to multi-year highs as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz curtails the flow of millions of barrels of crude oil each day,” De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a statement March 30. “The situation remains highly volatile and unpredictable, but upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist as long as global oil supplies are constrained by the continued disruption in the Strait. We’re likely to see the national average for gasoline push beyond the $4-per-gallon mark, while diesel could approach $6 per gallon and potentially set new records if conditions fail to improve.” 

De Haan added that Americans have already spent nearly $8 billion more on gasoline over the past month, a trend he said poses “growing risks to the broader economy.” 

In Washington, global pressures layer on top of structural factors that have kept the state among the most expensive places in the country to buy fuel. The state levies one of the highest gasoline taxes in the nation, at nearly 59 cents per gallon, and its cap‑and‑invest program under the Climate Commitment Act adds carbon allowance costs into wholesale fuel prices. These policies help explain why Washington routinely ranks behind only California and Hawaii for average pump prices. 

Looking back  

The past year has been a whiplash of modest relief followed by sharp increases.  

Last spring and summer, local prices hovered in the mid‑$4 range, with Grant County generally tracking just below the statewide average and Adams County fluctuating slightly above and below it.  

Through June, July and August, both counties stayed clustered around $4.30 to $4.50 per gallon, even as national prices remained closer to $3.10 to $3.20. 

By early fall, Washington’s average was still in the mid‑$4 range – $4.40 on Sept. 1 and $4.66 by Sept. 15 – while Grant and Adams counties moved between roughly $4.40 and $4.58.  

A brief period of easing in late fall and early winter brought statewide prices down to about $4.10 in early December and under $4 by mid‑December, with Grant and Adams counties following suit. 

The downward trend began to crack in mid-January, though. By Jan. 19, the statewide average ticked up slightly, ending a 17‑week slide, even as Grant and Adams counties still saw slight relief at the pump. 

February brought more volatility. On Feb. 2, Washington’s average jumped nine cents in a week to $3.94, with both Grant and Adams counties at $3.87.  

De Haan, at the time, pointed to geopolitical tensions, a weaker U.S. dollar and supply concerns, warning that West Coast states should brace for additional increases as the transition to more expensive summer‑blend gasoline began.  

By Feb. 9, Washington crossed back over the $4 mark, averaging $4.02 per gallon, while Grant County rose to $3.95 and Adams County to $3.88.  

Since then, the upward trend in fuel prices has continued across the nation, state and in both counties.