NORFOLK, Va. — Following the oil site attacks in Saudi Arabia, gas prices throughout Hampton Roads are already on the rise.
Georjeane Blumling, spokesperson AAA Tidewater, said locally said parts of the area are already starting to see some increase in gas prices that weren’t expected.
“We are seeing some increases of about three to five cents already,” said Blumling. “That may continue to bump up, a lot of that is gonna depend on how long this issue is with the Saudi production.”
Blumling said we could potentially see increases of about a quarter per gallon.
She said the good news is Hampton Roads will see some offset in the increase due to the switch from summer-blend to cheaper-to-produce winter-blend gasoline, which takes place in many parts of the country starting on September 15.
Jemell Jones, a driver who lives in Norfolk said he noticed a dramatic increase in prices at gas stations in the area.
“I noticed over by the Norfolk State area, the gas price is $2.59 right now. It’s just amazing how it jumped from $2.20 to $2.59,” said Jones.
Drivers like him are worried about gas price gouging.
Blumling said there’s a reason behind why some gas station owners may choose to increase their prices from one day to the next.
“A lot of times what they [gas station owners] have to anticipate is how much are they’re going to have to pay to refill that tank so a lot of times what we see may seem like they’re asking me to pay before they pay, and in some ways that’s true, because they know they’re going to have to pay more,” said Blumling. “This helps offset so that when they do get the additional gas, that dramatic increase does not happen.
The duration of the impact depends on how quickly Saudi Arabia can restore its production.
Blumling said the impact could level out by the end of Sept., but if the issues continue, the impact may stick around through the end of this year.