ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Filling up at the pump is getting more expensive for drivers across the country, including here in Northeast Wisconsin.
Trent Belter of Luxemburg tells FOX 11 there’s a little sticker shock.
“If I’m working from home and probably filling up once a week, I’m probably paying about $25, but if I’m coming to and from Green Bay all the time, I’m paying about $60 in gas.”
Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy.com says the price of gas is about 27 cents more per gallon this year than this time last year.
“The average price in the Green Bay area is about $2.61, they’re up about 2 cents in the last week and 11 cents in the last month.”
DeHaan says prices are the highest they’ve been since November of 2014….and the prices are not done climbing.
“The reason that oil prices are so much higher than last year over the last 16 months is OPEC has reduced the amount of crude oil it supplies to the market. As a result, the US oil inventory is down 15 percent.
The increase comes as many people are preparing to hit the roads for Memorial Day weekend.
“Bunch of my friends are coming home from college Memorial Day weekend and we are going up to Sturgeon Bay to Harper Village,” said Belter.
Josh Jarosh, director of communications for Door County’s Visitors Bureau, is keeping a close watch..
“Yeah Memorial Day is a busy weekend for us here in Door County. Early May, in general, is just an exciting time of the year and our businesses are getting ready to open for the season.”
Jarosh says he expects people will still travel, even with higher prices at the pump.
“I don’t think the increasing gas prices will have an impact, people are still going to come to Door County.”
“I’ve been used to all the gas prices and everything like that so I’m willing to pay the extra amount of money to go up there,” Belter said.
Gas Buddy says it is not expecting prices to climb above $3 per gallon for regular unleaded.
It expects it to peak at about $2.80 per gallon.
