Thanks for the gas-price hike, Harvey (big jerk)

Local gas prices jumped around 10 cents a gallon overnight on August 30, in response to the destruction and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. San Diego gas prices started rising slightly on August 25, the day Harvey was supposed to hit shore.

Most San Diego–area branded stations are now over the $3-a-gallon threshold while the news from Texas is that 40 percent of their oil production is shut down. Pipelines that supply gas to the gulf states and the East Coast were also affected.

Locally, the highest-priced gas is at two stations on Coronado, where it is approaching the $4 mark ($3.91 a gallon as of 2:30 p.m. on August 31). However, prices (paying cash, regular gas) remain under $3 at most independent stations, seven of the top ten lowest being in the Escondido area. However, San Diego County’s lowest price is at the Noil station at 1605 Cactus Road (at the corner of Otay Mesa Road) at $2.45 a gallon.

As news of the impacts of the hurricane spread, many local Facebook posters predicted the price rise; others pointed out that California’s oil prices shouldn’t be affected by the disaster in Texas. Our oil comes from Alaska, and the West Coast’s largest refinery in Torrance is in full production.

The disaster price spike nationwide is a result of “shifting global oil flows,” says Associated Press business reporter David Koenig.

In the same report, gasbuddy.com analyst Patrick Dehaan reported the spike should top out at 20 cents a gallon. Fortunately, gasbuddy.com reported that as of the evening of August 31, gas prices in San Diego County are “stable.”