We Might See $4.00 Gas This Weekend in West Central Missouri

Think you'll be paying any less for gasoline anytime soon? Nope. Me neither.

And the fact that it seems like the Gas Buddy website has crashed as I start to write this article doesn't give me much hope either. So when will we see four-dollar gasoline prices here in West Central Missouri?

Well, I asked that question to one of the folks who work at my favorite gas station Monday morning and she told me she wouldn't be surprised if we cross the four dollars per gallon mark by the weekend. Yes, this weekend.

The National Average for gasoline as of Monday is already $4.06 a gallon according to AAA Gas Prices. Californians are paying an average of $5.34 a gallon. Closer to home, those residents in Illinois across the Missippi are paying $4.30 a gallon, and I bet it's more like $4.60 a gallon in Chicago with the City taxes.

Here in Missouri, it's not that bad... yet. $3.62 is the average in Missouri. Which is about what I paid this morning to fill up in Warrensburg. But the prices are rising. Like daily. For the first time in ages, though, it might be a little cheaper to fill up in Sedalia vs. Warrensburg. The average price of gas in Sedalia is two cents cheaper than the Missouri average, $3.60 a gallon. In Warrensburg, it's three cents higher than the Missouri average, $3.65 a gallon. This is according to AAA Gas Prices at about noon on Monday, March, 7.

So what's our government doing to lower costs, well according to AAA Gas Prices the International Energy Agency announced a coordinated release of crude oil from 31 member countries' strategic reserves including the United States, Germany, Canada, South Korea, and Mexico to help counter rising crude prices.

According to AAA Gas Prices, members of the IEA are committed to releasing 61.7 million barrels from their strategic reserves, with half of that coming from the United States. That said, it will have minimal impact on prices because it's small compared to the amount that flows daily from Russia to other countries around the globe.

Gas prices rising a $1.00, or $1.25, or $1.50 isn't fun. No one likes it. But it's easy for a lot of us to soldier through it. With $4.00 gas on the horizon as early as this week. It's getting concerning that gas prices could double at some point this spring. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy doesn't give much hope.

He writes on their blog. “We’ve never been in this situation before, with this level of uncertainty. As we lose a major global producer under the weight of deserving bipartisan sanctions for invading a sovereign country, the cost is high. Americans will be feeling the pain of the rise in prices for quite some time, with little good news foreseen.”

Gas Buddy went and updated their prediction of how much the National Average will be for gasoline for the remainder of the year and they predict we'll experience the most pain at the pump in May, followed by August and June. With the National Average per gallon of gasoline for the year being $3.99.

The good news, not that it's that good, looking at the National Average price ranges, Gas Buddy has the price topping out at $4.62. Now that doesn't mean you won't pay more in places like Illinois, New York, or California. I'd add a buck to that National Average price for those states at least. Yet, in our corner of the world, it probably does mean gas won't reach $5.00 a gallon.

That said, I commute 300 miles a week between Warrensburg and Sedalia. And adding two bucks a gallon to the price of gas. Well let me say this, anyone got an apartment for rent in Sedalia this June that's two bedrooms, on the first floor, with central air, that's medium/large dog friendly, and has washer and dryer hook-ups (even better with a washer and dryer included)? It might be time to double down on finding a place to live that's a lot closer to work.