Alabama drivers are getting hit twice by this summer’s brutal heat — once outside and again at the gas pump. The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline climbed to $3.43, according to AAA Alabama, an increase of 18 cents in a single week and 35 cents over the past month.
Clay Ingram, public relations manager for AAA Alabama, said the timing is unusual. As students head back to school, gas prices normally hold steady or begin a slow slide toward fall. Instead, sweltering temperatures have scrambled the usual pattern.
How Heat Drives Prices Up
Ingram explained that extreme heat creates a double squeeze on supply. When temperatures soar, demand for crude oil rises because power companies burn more of it to keep the electricity flowing to air conditioners. At the same time, high heat makes refinery problems more likely, cutting into production right as demand climbs.
The result has been a rapid jump in crude costs. “We have seen our crude prices go from 60-something dollars a barrel to 80-something dollars a barrel just in the last few weeks,” Ingram said.
For Mobile-area drivers, the increases are showing up directly at the tank. Some motorists say a full fill-up now approaches $80, enough that many are topping off with partial purchases instead.
Relief Expected by Fall
Ingram said he expects the spike to be temporary. As temperatures cool and the natural seasonal decline in demand kicks in, prices should start easing.
“I think our natural decline in demand that we typically see in the fall will help our prices come back down soon,” he said, adding that he expects prices to be considerably lower by the end of the year.