Texas motorists are paying a near-record average of about $2.13 a gallon for regular unleaded gas, Triple-A Texas said Friday, and uncertainties fueled by terrorist attacks in London and the approach of Hurricane Dennis leave the price outlook gloomy.
Concerns about disruption in offshore drilling as rigs are evacuated in advance of the arrival of Dennis pushed crude oil prices above $60 a barrel this week.
Triple-A Texas spokeswoman Carol Thorp says oil industry analysts don't yet know what effect those events will have on refinery production, but she said prices could drop if security concerns cause travelers to scrap late-summer vacation plans.
Prices are still the lowest in the Corpus Christi area, where motorists are paying about $2.04 a gallon.
Motorists continued to pay the most for gasoline this week in Dallas, where prices average almost $2.16 a gallon.
Prices in Texas Friday ranged from $1.91 at a station in Port Lavaca to $2.31 a gallon at a station in Boerne, according to TexasGasPrices.com.
In Central Texas, prices ranged from $1.95 a gallon at a station in Waco to $2.23 a gallon at a station on Interstate 35, also in Waco.
