Utah gas prices continue to soar, surpass $4 per gallon in some counties

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's temperatures aren't the only thing that appear to have no sign of going down anytime soon at the beginning of the new season.

The state's average gas price rose to $3.88 per gallon on the first day of spring, Friday, according to AAA's fuel price index. That's up about 40 cents per gallon from last week and $1.10 per gallon from a month ago, shortly before prices started to rise in the wake of an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Gas prices tend to rise in spring, as refineries begin to produce more expensive summer blends and travel demand increases. However, experts warned that the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began on Feb. 28, would likely affect gas prices because of Iran's oil production and because the Strait of Hormuz in the area is a key shipping channel.

"Twenty percent of the world's supply of oil does flow through the Strait of Hormuz on its way to customers internationally," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the app GasBuddy, earlier this month. "That is why we're seeing oil prices jump."

The Strait of Hormuz has been a key piece of many recent updates from the Iran conflict, which has been blocked by the country. For example, the British government authorized the U.S. to use its ​military bases to carry out strikes on ‌Iranian missile sites that are attacking ships sailing through the corridor, Reuters reported on Friday.

Gas prices have skyrocketed at home as everything else shakes up overseas. The U.S. announced last week that it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves over the next four months, but that — to this point — has had "no immediate impact on the oil market as the price of a barrel of crude continues to climb," said John Treanor, spokesman for AAA's Mountain West Group.

Prices are generally the highest in northeast and southwest Utah at the moment, jumping above $4 per gallon in Beaver and Grand counties. It's generally the cheapest in the northwest and central parts of the state, but Daggett County in northeast Utah remains the cheapest at $3.62 per gallon, as of Friday.

Utah's average is still 3 cents below the national average, but the brunt of the most expensive gas is found in the West. It's as high as $5.66 per gallon in California and $5.22 per gallon in Washington.

Averages are lowest in the Midwest, led by Kansas at $3.26 per gallon.

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