Idaho gas prices rising

COEUR d'ALENE – Idaho drivers won’t be feeling the love when they stop to fill up this Valentine’s Day.

According to AAA, gas prices in the Gem State jumped another 4 cents this week, following the national trend of higher pump prices due to the rising cost of crude oil. At $56 per barrel, crude is at its highest price in the last year.

“Over the next few weeks, we would anticipate gas prices continuing on an upward trajectory, perhaps by as much as 10 cents a gallon, as higher replacement costs make their way down to consumers,” says AAA Idaho spokesman Matthew Conde. “But for those with a glass-half-full mentality, Idaho drivers are still in the enviable position of paying less than the national average and less than they paid a year ago.”

Prices jumped by 10 cents in the Coeur d’Alene area, and by 4 to 6 cents in other parts of the state.

Prices in Kootenai County ranged from a little above $2 for a gallon of unleaded to the $2.20 range.

Today, the average price for regular fuel in Idaho is $2.39, which is 17 cents more than a month ago but 15 cents less than a year ago.

The national average currently sits at $2.47. That’s also 17 cents more expensive than a month ago, and 3 cents more than a year ago.

Feb. 6 was the first time in 340 days that the U.S. average was more expensive year-over-year. While two-thirds of the states have followed suit, Idaho isn’t one of them — for now.

Here’s a selection of Idaho gas prices as of Monday: Boise, $2.48; Franklin, $2.34; Idaho Falls, $2.33 and Lewiston, $2.38.