Paying Slightly More At The Pump

Walnut Creek, CA– Gas prices are on the rise again in Northern California. That’s according to the latest report from AAA.

All but eight Northern California metro areas tracked by the organization saw increases over the past month. Gas prices are now averaging $3.82, up two cents from last month.

California’s average for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.84, up three cents since last month. For comparison, that’s 70 cents higher than California’s average price on this date last year.

“AAA understands that heading into the holiday season with higher gas prices is rough on consumers,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “We encourage motorists to take the extra time to shop around for the best price.”

AAA says that recently, uncertainty about the Euro zone debt crisis has been the biggest driving force behind where crude oil prices have been going. Efforts to address the Euro zone’s financial issues have displayed a high level of volatility.  Figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that demand for gasoline has also remained relatively steady over the past three weeks, helping to keep the price from jumping too high.

The average price of gas in downtown Sonora is $3.73.

For information on gas prices in the area click here.