GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — West Michigan drivers will pay more at the pump this Memorial Day weekend, but easing refinery issues could prevent prices from climbing further heading into the holiday.
Gas prices are about $1.50 higher/gallon than this time last year, according to GasBuddy. Based on an average fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon, according to the Department of Energy, that adds up quickly for drivers heading to popular holiday destinations.
A round trip from Grand Rapids to Holland will cost an average of $3 to $4 more this year. A round trip from Grand Rapids to Traverse City will cost an average of nearly $17 more. Drivers heading out of state to Chicago will pay an average of nearly $22 more for a round trip compared to last year.
However, refinery issues that impacted the Midwest last week have largely been resolved, which could keep prices from spiking further.
"With those refineries restarting, the wholesale price of gasoline has dropped nicely. Retailers are starting to lower their prices, and if they don't lower them too quickly, we may get through the holiday week without seeing an increase. Prices may continue drifting down a couple of cents a day," Patrick said.
While most drivers use regular unleaded, diesel drivers could see the most relief at the pump. A specific refinery's diesel unit was more impacted than its gasoline unit during last week's outages. Diesel prices are expected to return to the mid-$5 range, barring any additional outages.
"Now that that's behind us, diesel is going to see a lot more relief than gasoline, just because it's priced way higher," Patrick said.
For drivers traveling out of state, some of the cheapest places to fill up are in southwest Michigan, northwest Indiana, and the western Upper Peninsula.
Gas prices in West Michigan are slowly coming down ahead of Memorial Day weekend, with more than 39 million Americans expected to drive this holiday weekend, according to AAA.
Here is where gas prices stand county by county as of Tuesday morning, according to GasBuddy:
- Kent County: $4.90 per gallon
- Muskegon County: $4.84 per gallon
- Ottawa County: $4.85 per gallon
- Kalamazoo County: $4.91 per gallon
These prices are the most up-to-date averages for the entire county, so prices at your local station may differ.
GasBuddy predicts prices will continue to fall as the weekend approaches. If you can wait to fill up, that is your best bet to save some cash this weekend.
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