As fuel prices surge in Mississippi, some Coast gas stations charge $4 or more. Why?

Gas prices across the U.S. and in Mississippi continued to rise last night and are approaching an all-time record.

“There’s a possibility that the national average will quickly jump to $4.25 or $4.50,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

The spike will probably continue into midweek before potentially slowing down near the end of the week.

“90% of the recent increase in the last week is probably because of the Russia situation,” he said, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

While the national price is already above $4, the Mississippi average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.77 after jumping 6 cents from Sunday.

Yet, a few places along the Coast have been spotted with prices close to $4, such as Race Trac on Washington Avenue in St. Martin charging $3.99 and Loves in Long Beach advertising regular unleaded for $3.97 along Interstate 10.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s price gouging, De Haan said.

It is typical for mainstream gas stations to have varying prices. For example, De Haan said, stores such as Arco are known for charging prices below average while Chevron and Shell typically charge more than average.

But some stations, particularly on the West Coast, charge even higher than average for non-traditional reasons.

“Stations do love the PR it brings,” De Haan said of exceptionally high-priced gas stations. He referenced stations in Bel-Air that have reportedly been charging $7 or $8 a gallon.

Stations that are ethanol free providers are charging above $4, such as Kent and Sue’s in the Lakeshore community Hancock County. That’s because fuel without ethanol is traditionally more expensive.

As gas prices continue to rise, people can do a few things to increase their fuel efficiency by as much as 20%.

“Avoid speeds higher than 75 miles per hour,” De Haan says who also advises accelerating less quickly and coasting to upcoming red lights.