Nevada’s gas prices increase 12.5 cents

Gasoline pump prices zoomed higher in Carson City, Nevada and across the nation in recent days, a website that monitors motor fuel costs reported Monday.

The lowest price listed in Nevada’s capital city Monday morning was $2.59 per gallon at the 7-Eleven outlet on North Carson Street at College Parkway, GasBuddy.com said. An Arco station at 4340 N. Carson St. was at $2.66, but 23 other stations ranged from $2.69 on the low side to $3.09 a gallon on the high end.

At 1,130 stations surveyed in Nevada, the gas price-monitoring website reported, the state’s average price increased 12.5 cents per gallon by Sunday, compared with the same day a week earlier. It reached an average of $2.92 a gallon while nationally, the website said, the average price zipped 8.2 cents a gallon higher to $2.54 a gallon.

That meant Carson City’s lowest price Monday was a nickel more than the average price nationally, but 33 cents lower than the state’s average on Sunday. Overall, the price hikes were attributed to the higher cost of crude oil and refining in this region. It also meant the highest pump price in the city exceeded the state average by 17 cents a gallon.

“A rebound in crude oil prices has fueled up gasoline prices in the last week across the United States,” said Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst. The website spokesman said West Coast spikes were higher due to refinery problems.

DeHaan reported the national price is at a four-month high, but the news doesn’t sound so dire when you compare it with recent years. He said prices remain at their lowest point since 2009 for the late April date.

His report, however, showed West Texas Intermediate crude oil late last week was near $58 per barrel, the highest since mid-December of last year and $18 more than just a month ago.