Gas Prices on the Rise Nationwide

At the beginning of the year, the nation  enjoyed low gas prices. In Nebraska, prices even dipped below the two dollar mark for regular gas.

Lately, however, gas prices have slowly climbed up. Current gas prices in Thayer County are an average of $2.35. The state average is $2.401 and the national average is $2.45 according to gasbuddy.com.

According to an Omaha World-Herald article, these changes are occurring  partly because refineries are starting to make the switch from winter-blend to the more expensive summer-blend fuel and the number of active oil wells were down 25 percent due to the low prices.

The current price of a barrel of crude oil is around $50.60.

In an article with CNN, Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, predicted that prices would top out at about $2.50 to $2.70 a gallon. However, by this summer or early this fall, he believes gas will return to below $2 in many areas.