AAA: Gas Prices Climbing in Illinois and Winnebago County

Drivers in Illinois are paying a little more at the pump this month.

The current price for a gallon of regular unleaded is an average of $2.97. While that price reflects a rise of $.34 from a month ago, drivers are still paying $.86 less than this time last year. AAA says the spike is due to maintenance work at two large refineries.

According to AAA Chicago spokesperson Beth Mosher, fuel prices still are at recent lows for this time of the year:

“Prices in Illinois and northern Indiana have risen sharply over the past few weeks due to maintenance issues that are affecting production at local refineries. Even with the temporary price spike, prices are still the lowest we’ve seen in June since 2010; drivers setting off on summer road trips will be enjoying these lower pump prices.”

The average price for May in Illinois was $2.77, an increase of $.19 from the previous month. Here in Winnebago County, self-serve regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.63 per gallon in January. It was $3.02 per gallon in Cook County.