NORTHWEST INDIANA - Gas Prices are going in the right direction from one week to the next for consumers as we approach Christmas. That's according to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. He says regardless, prices may fluctuate.
"Gas prices [are] going in the right direction one week to the next as we approach Christmas," DeHaan says. "Things are looking good well unless you're in Indiana, which you are, the one state that actually saw prices go up a little bit verses where they were a week ago. I'll blame that on gas prices that jumped across Indiana. That was last week Tuesday, but since then prices have started to go back down."
However prices could take consumers on a bit of an uphill downhill ride.
"But as we approach Christmas we could see another one of those cycles in which prices jump before beginning to retreat, DeHaan says. "So if you're heading out for this Christmas, if you're driving, hitting the road, it may be a good idea to fill up in the next day or two as gas prices may go up as they tend to do every one to two weeks."
Average retail gasoline prices in Northwest Indiana have risen just over a cent per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.42/g Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 314 gas outlets in Northwest Indiana. This compares with the national average that has fallen just over three cents per gallon in the last week to $2.41/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Northwest Indiana during the past week, prices Sunday were just under 20 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are almost 22 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased just under 13 cents per gallon during the last month and stands just over 17 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on December 18th in Northwest Indiana have ranged widely over the last five years:
$2.22/g in 2016, $1.87/g in 2015, $2.34/g in 2014, $3.08/g in 2013 and $3.14/g in 2012.
