Just when drivers in the U.S thought relief was in sight, the numbers at the pump are climbing again. And this time, the surge is steeper than anything seen in nearly four years.
The pain is national. But in the Great Lakes region, it has become excruciating.
After ticking down for nearly two weeks, gas prices have reversed course with a vengeance. The national average saw a 27-cent hike in just one week, landing at $4.39 per gallon as of May 1, 2026, according to AAA. That is $1.12 higher than it was this time last year. The last time Americans paid this much at the pump was late July 2022.
The culprit? Oil prices are surging above $100 per barrel, with no indication of when the Strait of Hormuz — a conduit for a fifth of global oil — will reopen due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. At the close of Wednesday’s trading session, West Texas Intermediate rose $6.95 to settle at $106.88 a barrel.
Michigan: Nearly $5 and Climbing
The pain at the pump continued to plague Michigan on Friday, with the cost of gas rising nearly 30 cents overnight. The state’s average price of regular unleaded gasoline on Friday was $4.86, about 28 cents higher than the day before, according to AAA. That is also up 90 cents from a week ago, when the average was $3.96 per gallon.
GasBuddy, the Dallas-based fuel price tracker, reported Michigan gas prices on Friday averaged about $4.87 per gallon for regular unleaded, up slightly from Thursday. Friday’s price is also about 87.7 cents higher than last week’s average of $3.99 per gallon.
Gas has reached $4.99 a gallon in some places in Michigan, including Eaton, Branch, and Manistee counties, GasBuddy reports. At least one Lansing station had regular unleaded Thursday for $5.09 a gallon.
Robert Rivait of Berkley, who drives a Toyota RAV4 gas-electric hybrid, scoffed after topping off his tank and paying $12.87 for 2.62 gallons at an Amoco station in Royal Oak, which was $4.74 a gallon on Thursday. “Isn’t it ridiculous?” Rivait said, referring to President Donald Trump. “These are Trump prices.”
Lorraine Morical filled her car with just over 17 gallons of gas at a Mobil station east of Lake Orion. It cost her nearly $90. The price had increased from $3.99 a gallon to $4.89 in less than a week. “I thought Trump was going to put a price cap on them, and he hasn’t,” said Morical, 72, of Oakland Township.
AAA ranks Michigan as the 9th most expensive gas market in the country at $4.58, behind California ($6.01), Hawaii ($5.64), Washington ($5.57), Oregon ($5.15), Nevada ($5.12), Alaska ($4.92), Arizona ($4.67), and Illinois ($4.66), and just ahead of Ohio at $4.46.
Ohio: The Refinery Shock
The situation in Northeast Ohio has become critical. Drivers across the region have watched gas prices climb sharply, and now most stations are nearly $5 per gallon. On Friday, Ohioans woke up to prices that jumped again overnight — 37 cents more than Thursday, according to AAA. That is 92 cents more than last week and $1.06 more than last month.
Ohio, usually middle of the road when it comes to prices, has climbed to the 8th highest in the country at $4.46.
The surge is not solely due to global factors. A temporary power problem at the BP plant in Whiting, Indiana — one of the largest refineries in the country — sent prices higher across the region. The 440,000-barrel-per-day refinery experienced a brief power outage over the weekend that caused one of its processing units to be shut down. Although BP has since issued a statement that operations are back to normal, the damage to prices was already done.
Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, said Thursday on X that the Great Lakes region — including Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois — was “seeing signs of weakening wholesale gasoline prices” after the refinery issue was resolved. “I don’t foresee any further increases in these states,” he wrote. But he noted new developments could change the situation.
The Midwest is relatively isolated from other fuel supply centers. “When a major refinery stumbles, there aren’t many quick alternatives — and prices react fast,” De Haan said. Sudden supply tightness. Rapid wholesale price spikes. Retail stations are adjusting prices sharply higher. Because many stations refill tanks at higher costs, those increases cascade quickly to consumers.
At one Cleveland gas station, the price on the sign read $4.99. When a news crew was at another station, prices changed within 30 minutes, jumping from $4.79 to $4.99. It cost the reporter $30.55 for a little more than six gallons.
“The lady said they went up 70 cents,” one driver said. “She said it was $4.19 earlier, then it shot up to $4.79. Now it’s $4.99. I was going to get gas yesterday, but I forgot.”
The National Picture
The data from AAA tells a clear story of rising pain. One week ago, the national average was $4.031. One month ago, it was $3.990. One year ago, drivers were paying just $3.183. The trajectory is unmistakable.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand increased last week from 9.05 million barrels per day to 9.10 million, while total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 228.4 million barrels to 222.3 million. Gasoline production also decreased, averaging 9.8 million barrels per day. Fewer gallons available. More drivers want them. The math is simple. The result is painful.
The nation’s five most expensive gasoline markets are California at $6.01, Hawaii at $5.64, Washington at $5.57, Oregon at $5.15, and Nevada at $5.12. The least expensive markets are Oklahoma at $3.70, Kansas at $3.75, Georgia at $3.75, Mississippi at $3.77, and Arkansas at $3.79. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive states is now more than $2.30 per gallon.
The Global Context
Experts say the last time the region experienced prices this high was 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushed gas prices above $5 a gallon. Now, the Iran war is playing a similar role.
“Even though we’re not importing Iranian oil in America, it is a globally traded commodity,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs for AAA East Central. “When you see an impact happen overseas, that splash has ripples, and those ripples make their way to us.”
Crude oil is the main ingredient of gasoline. When it goes up and down, even by a couple dollars, that has an immediate impact at the pump. With WTI trading above $106 per barrel, the mathematics of gasoline pricing leaves little room for relief.
The EIA reports that crude oil inventories decreased by 6.2 million barrels from the previous week. At 459.5 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are only about 1 percent above the five-year average for this time of year. There is no cushion.
What Drivers Can Expect
As for whether prices will drop soon, Garrity says it depends entirely on what crude oil does next. “What happens next remains to be seen with crude oil prices,” he said.
De Haan is cautiously optimistic that the worst of the refinery-driven spike may be over, but the global situation remains volatile. The conflict in Iran shows no signs of resolution. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. And every day that passes without a reopening is another day of upward pressure on global oil prices.
For drivers, the advice is familiar but frustrating. Drive less. Slow down. “The faster you go, at AAA, we have found that for roughly every five miles over 50 an hour you’re going, you’re exponentially burning fuel less efficiently,” Garrity said. “That’s making you a less safe driver, but it’s also making your car work harder and burning fuel less efficiently.”
Those tips will not lower the price at the pump. They will only reduce the number of gallons drivers need to buy.
The Bottom Line
Gas prices are surging again across the United States. The national average is $4.39 per gallon — 27 cents higher than one week ago and $1.12 higher than last year. Oil prices have climbed above $106 per barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to the Iran war.
In Michigan, the average price hit $4.86 on Friday, up 90 cents from a week ago, with some stations charging $4.99 or even $5.09. In Ohio, prices jumped 37 cents overnight, pushing the state to the 8th highest in the nation, with Cleveland stations at $4.99. A temporary power outage at the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana, exacerbated the crisis, though operations have since returned to normal.
Gasoline demand is rising. Supply is falling. Global conflict shows no sign of abating. And American drivers — from Detroit to Cleveland to Los Angeles — are left to watch the numbers at the pump climb higher, with no clear end in sight.
