DENVER -- In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and with Irma making landfall in the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, gas prices are experiencing a double whammy. AAA says the nation hasn't seen prices this high in two years.
At its peak, Harvey shut down 27 percent of U.S. refining capacity, sending a ripple effect through the system. In Colorado, the average is up 21 cents since before Harvey.
We're seeing some fluctuation in prices around town. A Sinclair station at Alameda and Downing is selling gas for $2.39 a gallon as of Wednesday. Down the street at Alameda and Broadway it's $2.59 per gallon.
Colorado is actually seeing the highest spike in prices in the Rocky Mountain region even though we don't get our gas from the Gulf Coast. But as gas meant for Colorado gets routed to other states hit harder by the hurricanes, we will see a spike in prices.
Gas stations will soon switch from a summer fuel blend to the winter blend, which is generally about a dime cheaper per gallon. That may help bring prices back down.
As of Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.66. That's just one cent less than the two year high, which was $2.67 on August 18th, 2015.
In Denver the current average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.52. You can keep track of gas prices on the AAA website.
