Gas prices surge near $4 a gallon in MS. One Coast county is already there.
The rise at the gas pumps continued Wednesday as fuel prices across Mississippi jumped seven cents overnight to $3.92 per gallon, according to the AAA average gas price index.
The rapid pace of price changes appears to be speeding up this week. Mississippi averaged $3.12 a mere month ago and was $3.30 last week. The new high is four cents less than Mississippi’s highest recorded average price of $3.96 in 2008.
For the most part, Mississippi’s southeastern counties have had lower averages than the rest of the state, with Stone, Harrison and Jackson reporting some of the lowest prices per gallon of unleaded gas.
At $3.99 a gallon, Hancock County was on the other side of the spectrum and is now one of the most expensive counties for gas in the state.
Here’s a cost breakdown for the South Mississippi area as of 12 p.m. Wednesday:
Hancock County: $3.99
Pearl River County: $3.97
George County: $3.90
Harrison County: $3.88
Jackson County: $3.88
Stone County: $3.86
This time last year, gas was averaging at $2.46 per gallon in the Magnolia State.
Experts say a variety of factors could keep gas prices high for the next few months, including summer tourism and ongoing tension with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 2:14 PM.
