GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Remember last week when I told you that barring any severe weather or refinery interruptions, the highest gas prices of 2025 are most likely in our rear view mirror? Just a few days later, storms temporarily knocked out one of the largest refineries in the Midwest, triggering sharp jumps in gas prices across not only Michigan but also Wisconsin, Ohio, and Illinois.
"They produce millions of gallons of gasoline every single day," GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said. "As a result of this downtime, the wholesale price of gasoline has shot up."
Specifically, in West Michigan, there are two delivery points for gas in Ferrysburg and Muskegon that saw their wholesale prices jump nearly 25 cents after the refinery shutdown. This means any gas stations in West Michigan buying new gas in the last few days were paying a much higher price, and that's after we had already seen gas prices cycle back to $3.39 per gallon last week. With the wholesale prices increasing by another 20 cents, that is forcing many gas stations to hike prices again this week, according to De Haan.
"I would expect that as we get beyond Labor Day, we'll probably see more time when gas prices are back below that $3 a gallon mark, so this is temporary and it's very regional," De Haan said. "Only the Great Lakes states—Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and areas of Ohio—will be impacted by this situation."
Now, let's see what we are paying county by county in West Michigan:
- Kent County: $3.27/gallon
- Muskegon County: $3.29/gallon
- Ottawa County: $3.32/gallon
- Kalamazoo County: $3.27/gallon
As for when to fill up, West Michigan has been experiencing prices that cycle up every two weeks on average this summer. We have now cycled up for two consecutive weeks due to the refinery shutdown. As we approach Labor Day, prices are likely to start dipping again, according to De Haan. If you can wait to fill up, prices will be cheaper closer to the weekend.
