The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose Tuesday for the 14th consecutive day and 15th time in 16 days, increasing nine-tenths of a cent to $4.58, its highest amount since Dec. 7.

The average price has risen 15.3 cents over the past 16 days, including a half-cent Monday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 7.6 cents more than one week ago and 21.3 cents higher than one month ago, but 9.2 cents less than one year ago.

The average price has dropped $1.793 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5.

The national average price fell for the 17th consecutive day following a 17-day streak of increases, dropping two-tenths of a cent to $3.414. It is 4.3 cents less than one week ago and 7.4 cents lower than one year ago, but 12 cents more than one month ago.

The national average price has decreased 9.6 cents over the past 17 days, including three-tenths of a cent Monday, after rising 24.3 cents during the 17-day streak of increases. It has dropped $1.602 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations, predicts the average national price will soon begin increasing.

“GasBuddy data shows that gasoline demand has risen for the third straight week, a trend that will likely continue as we gradually see temperatures warm and the heart of winter moves to the rear view,” De Haan said. “Also, refinery maintenance season will soon be in full force, likely putting upward pressure on prices.

“On average, gasoline prices rise between 35 and 85 cents per gallon between March and Memorial Day, so motorists seeing prices fall should enjoy the declines while they last.”

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CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline shot up a whopping 79 cents over the past two weeks to a record-setting $4.43 per gallon (3.8 liters) as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is contributing to already-high prices at the pump.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday the new price exceeds by 32 cents the prior all-time high of $4.11 set in July 2008.

In today’s dollars, the previous record would be equal to $5.30 a gallon, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator.

The price at the pump is $1.54 higher than it was a year ago.

Lundberg said gas prices are likely to remain high in the short term as crude oil costs soar amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Prices at the pump were rising long before Russia invaded Ukraine as post-lockdown demand has pushed prices higher. Crude prices plummeted in early 2020 as economies around the world shut down because of COVID-19 — the price of futures even turned negative, meaning some sellers were paying buyers to take oil. Prices rebounded, however, as demand recovered faster than producers pulled oil out of the ground and inventories dried up.

Then, the price increase accelerated after war began.

Energy prices are also contributing to the worst inflation that Americans have seen in 40 years, far outpacing higher wages.

Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $5.79 per gallon. The lowest average is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at $3.80 per gallon.

According to the survey, the average price of diesel also spiked, up $1.18 over two weeks, to $5.20 a gallon. Diesel costs $2.11 more than it did one year ago.

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This story has been corrected to show that the inflation-adjusted dollar figure came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, not Lundberg, and updates that figure from $5.24 to $5.30.

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