DES MOINES, Iowa — Though the weather is slowly cooling, gas prices are quickly heating up. Gas prices across several Midwest states jumped overnight, with increases ranging from 50 cents to a dollar.
Patrick De Hann, Head of Petroleum Analysis for GasBuddy.com, says this type of increase is not unprecedented
"We've seen spikes like this happen, and it's really maddening if you're a consumer to try and figure it out," De Hann said.
GasBuddy confirms that across the Des Moines metro, the price of regular unleaded gasoline shot up nearly 60 cents or more.
Ricky Long lives in West Des Moines and was shocked by what he saw when looking at the gas prices Friday morning.
"My wife texted me this morning when she went to work and was explaining to me that gas prices went up," Long said.
He noticed that prices in his area were well above average, hovering between $4.09 and $4.15, prompting him to fill up at a truck stop in Clive where prices were lower.
For people who use their vehicle for work, even the slightest gas increase hurts business.
"When I do put in gas, I put in about $20, but now I'm having to put in about $40, and it's just outrageous," said Mason Martinez, who owns a food truck called Naturally Juiced.
So, what's behind the instant gas price jump?
De Hann says the blame can likely be placed on a refinery outage.
"Usually when a refinery goes down unexpectedly and has to buy from another refinery it pushes up prices significantly," he said. "All of that demand pushes the wholesale price of gasoline up significantly."
But thankfully, De Hann believes the pain at the pump is only temporary.
"By later this weekend ... the increases should stop completely," he said. "And then by early next week, we'll start to see price decreases happening."
To find the cheapest gas in central Iowa, click here or text GAS to 515-457-1026.