(KIWA Staff Photo)
Statewide Iowa (RI) — Renewed hostilities between the US and Iran are causing gasoline prices to spike in Iowa again. AAA Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says pump prices bounced two weeks ago before the busy Independence Day weekend, but instead of leveling off, they’ve continued to climb.
The current statewide average price for gas is $3.82 a gallon. That’s up 14 cents in the past week, and it’s up 90 cents from the average price a year ago. Ortner says Iowans who still have summer travel plans may have to get creative to stay within their budgets.
There’s a 30-cent-per-gallon difference between Iowa’s cheapest and most expensive metro areas. Ames has the most pricey pumps at $3.92 a gallon, while the state’s lowest cost is in Council Bluffs at $3.62.
A check of northwest Iowa prices at gasbuddy.com on Saturday morning showed even more variation than the AAA survey, with both a lower low and a higher high. The spread is an almost unbelievable 75 cents between the high price and the low, in just the four-county area of O’Brien, Osceola, Sioux, and Lyon counties. Also, several stations in the same towns as their competition had vastly different prices, so we’ll give the average price in each town. The low price in the area was in Orange City, at $3.54. In George, it was $3.59. Primghar had a price of $3.66. It was $3.74 in Sanborn, $3.76 in Larchwood, and $3.77 in Rock Rapids. $3.79 was the most popular price, occurring in Inwood, Hull, Paullina, Alton, and Hawarden. Gas was $3.84 a gallon in Boyden, $3.87 in Sioux Center, $3.89 in Sibley and Sheldon, and $3.95 in Rock Valley. The highest price in the area occurred in both Hartley and Sutherland. It was $4.29 per gallon. The prices are subject to change, and we encourage you to do your own research and think twice before traveling out of town for gas that may or may not be as cheap as you think.
