With a refinery mishap in California and Spring demand, gas prices nationally continue to climb. Sioux Falls is part of that reality.

Average retail gasoline prices in Sioux Falls have risen 17.2 cents per gallon in the past week according to GasBuddy’s latest survey. The going rate among the 101 places surveyed was $2.32 per gallon.

Nationally the average price of fuel has increased 12.0 cents per gallon in the last week. However, the local price still trends below the national figure of $2.42 per gallon.

Expanding the scope a little shows Sioux Falls prices were 106.4 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago. One month ago the price was 42.3 cents per gallon lower than the present.

Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst said in a press release that in the last two weeks, a rash of refinery problems has pushed up wholesale prices significantly. One of them was an explosion at a California refinery.

Another boost comes from unexpected cold-related shut downs along the East Coast and Great Lakes. Then there’s maintenance that's beginning at other refineries across the country.

If that wasn't enough, throw in the transition to cleaner, more costly blends of gasoline and declining gasoline inventories, and it's a bleak picture with rising prices for at least the next two months.

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