Average retail gasoline prices in Kansas have not moved  in the past week, but experts believe tensions in the Middle East, particularly Iran, that could change that in a hurry.
“Gasoline prices have slowed their rise in the last week as oil prices have temporarily stabilized,” said GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan. “I’m sure this leveling off in retail price won’t last terribly long as tension mounts with Iran. I still expect 2012 to be a nasty year for the typical motorist, which is what our recently released 2012 gasoline price outlook also states,” DeHaan said.
Sunflower gas prices were averaging $3.13 per gallon Sunday. This compares with the national average that has increased 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.34, according to gasoline price website KansasGasPrices.com.
The site reports the lowest pump price a Sinclair station in Colby which reported $2.97. The highest was at Qwest Fuel in Hays at $3.79.
Closer to home, in Great Bend, prices hovered around the middle of the pack between $3.07 and $3.17. Prices were similar in Larned, Lyons and other surrounding communities.
Including the change in gas prices in Kansas during the past week, prices yesterday were 12.0 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 5.5 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 10.3 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 27.2 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
GasBuddy’s 2012 gasoline price outlook may be accessed by visiting www.scribd.com/doc/78052696/Gasoline-Forecast-Media.
GasBuddy.com operates over 250 live gasoline price-tracking websites, including KansasGasPrices.com.