Gas Prices Jump to Over $4 Per Gallon in Parts of Evansville

If you didn't top of your tank on Wednesday, you may be in for a shock at the pump today.

Gas prices in Evansville for regular gas checked in Thursday morning between $3.73 on the low end and as much as $4.24 at one gas station, averaging out to roughly $3.98 according to the Gas Buddy App on my phone. Fortunately for me, my wife was tipped off to the upcoming spike in prices Wednesday afternoon by an employee at the station near our home, and called to give me the heads up. I topped off at the Circle K on First Avenue and Buena Vista for $3.74.

Prices in Henderson were slightly better, but not by much, with prices ranging from $3.63 to as much $3.95 at a number of stations.

Owensboro residents are enjoying the lowest prices in the Tri-State with $3.45 being the lowest reported price on Gas Buddy, and $3.79 being the highest.

So what caused the spike? According to a Purdue University economist Wally Tyner, speaking to the Evansville Courier and Press, a fire at a Detroit oil refinery and an upgrade of a refinery in northwestern Indiana owned and operated by BP are the root of the issue. A refinery in Joliet, Illinois, also undergoing maintenance, is causing a decrease in supply, and a rise in area prices.

However there may be light at the end of the tunnel according to AAA spokesperson, Mike Right in St. Louis who told the Courier and Press that while he doesn't "have a crystal ball", he has seen a decrease in prices in parts of the Midwest. Let's hope we see those decreases in the Evansville area sooner rather than later.