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The hurricanes are gone, but gas prices remain high

By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com
By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are long gone, but Charlotte drivers are still paying far more for gas than they were before the storms.

Consumers wonder why prices were so quick to go up, but so slow to drop back down.

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Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke has been using the QuikTrip on Central Avenue as a guide.

On Aug. 25, gas prices were $2.19 per gallon.

Hurricane Harvey hit and the price soared to $2.35. On Sept. 11, gas prices were up to $2.59, and on Thursday, more than a month later, prices were still at $2.53.

Patrick DeHaan, with GasBuddy, doesn't think gas stations are milking it.

"I think a lot of it is because of the sheer magnitude of the amount of gasoline production that was lost as a result of this hurricane," DeHaan said. "At the peak, we saw 28 percent of all refining capacity offline. And that did a tremendous amount of damage on a nation that consumes 9.7 million barrels of gasoline every single day."

DeHaan said it may not feel like it, but prices in the Charlotte area are dropping, just slowly.

On Aug. 25, the average price for gas was at $2.19. On Sept. 4, it peaked at $2.64. On Sept. 11, it was at $2.63, and Thursday, gas prices were at $2.55.

DeHaan thinks the Charlotte area could get back to those pre-Harvey prices by Halloween or a little after, if the Gulf of Mexico doesn't have another hurricane.

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