Gas prices going up, Milwaukee area still below national average

MILWAUKEE - A spike in gas prices has many people worried about a repeat of last summer when Wisconsin and the U.S. hit record highs. 

Julie Butzen can't catch a break. Friday, she was leaving Milwaukee for New Berlin – paying more than she did just one week ago. 

"Filling up, and the gas prices are terrible," she said.

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AAA reports a 14-cent spike in gas prices this week to a five-month high. The national average is currently $3.58, while the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro average sits just under at $3.54. 

"Yeah, we’re going to pay more if it keeps going up like this," said driver Tracy McGowan.

Gas price in Milwaukee on April 7, 2023

If you think $3.69 per gallon is a lot, there were record highs last year. In June 2022, FOX6 News spotted stations selling gas for over $5 per gallon. Diane Thomas still feels it in her wallet.

"Who knows when gas will be $7 a gallon," she said.

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Last year, experts with GasBuddy cited a "loss in refining capacity due to COVID shutdowns…and the war un Ukraine" for driving up then price of oil.

"The prices are going up – but you’re going to need gas to get around," said McGowan.

Gas price in Milwaukee on April 7, 2023

Forbes reports the current jump comes after oil producers in countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait announced plans to cut over one million barrels of oil per day starting in May. The production grind, Forbes said, could continue through the end of the year.

"We will. Without a doubt. Everything is going up," Thomas said of a potential summer spike. "A bag of chips is almost $5."

For comparison, motorists in Illinois are paying much more than we are in Wisconsin; AAA reports the average price there is currently $3.95 per gallon.