Thanksgiving Gas Prices Higher Than A Year Ago
A person pumps gas into their car. Julio Cortez/AP
Motorists in Illinois will pay more at the gas pump this holiday weekend compared to a year ago.
The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gas is $2.61.
Patrick DeHaan is head of petroleum analysis at gas price tracking site GasBuddy.com, and he says while the summer hurricanes hurt oil production, the high price of foreign oil is the biggest culprit. "We’re seeing oil prices rise and that’s much of the reason for the jump compared to last year," DeHaan said.
In the Champaign area, the average price of gas is $2.52, down almost nine cents from last week, but still well above the $1.91 a gallon of last year.
DeHaan expects gas prices to decline slightly through the Thanksgiving weekend.