Riverside Gas Prices Climb Again

Riverside County motorists faced another increase at the pump Monday as the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline rose for the 13th consecutive day.

The countywide average increased six-tenths of a cent to $5.581 per gallon, according to figures from Information Service. The latest increase followed a 1.2-cent rise Sunday and brought the total gain during the 13-day streak to 34.6 cents.

Drivers are now paying 17.7 cents more per gallon than one week ago and 28.1 cents more than one month ago. The average price is also $1.269 higher than it was one year ago, adding significantly to transportation costs for commuters, businesses and families across the county.

Gasoline prices have risen sharply since the joint U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran began Feb. 28. Riverside County’s average has increased approximately $1.03 since the start of the conflict, as uncertainty surrounding international oil supplies and shipping routes has pushed crude oil and refined fuel costs higher.

The national average remained unchanged Monday at $4.11 per gallon, one day after an 11-day streak of increases totaling 25.2 cents ended with a decrease of one-tenth of a cent.

The national average is now 10.7 cents higher than one week ago, 23.2 cents above the price one month ago and 96.5 cents higher than one year earlier. It has increased $1.128 since the military campaign against Iran began.

Energy analysts have attributed the recent increases to several overlapping pressures, including continued tensions involving the United States and Iran, renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries.

Those developments have raised concerns about oil production, refinery capacity and the movement of petroleum products through important international shipping routes.

A pullback in some hostilities over the weekend sent oil prices lower, offering hope that the pace of gasoline increases could begin to moderate in the coming days.

However, motorists should expect prices to remain elevated. Any meaningful relief at Riverside County gas stations will depend largely on whether geopolitical tensions continue to ease and whether global oil and fuel shipments can move without additional disruptions.