Winter storms could make gas prices worse. What past data shows
Drivers feel the strain as gas prices surge
Drivers across the country react to rising gas prices as costs climb and frustration grows in cities like Los Angeles.
- Gas prices are rising across the United States, with the national average at $3.63 per gallon.
- Recent price surges are linked to U.S. strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Upcoming winter storms in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes could cause another spike in gas prices.
Winter weather is back in many parts of the United States, and drivers who are already reeling from rising gas prices could be facing another spike in their costs at the pump.
After a brief flirtation with warmer weather in most of the East Coast, a pair of snowstorms are in the forecast for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, with heavy snow likely in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. on Friday, March 13 was $3.63, according to AAA Auto Club. That’s up from an average of $3.32 one week ago on March 6 and one year ago $3.07 on March 13, 2025, the group said.
“In just a week, consumers have seen gasoline prices surge at one of the fastest rates in years after oil prices spiked following U.S. strikes on Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said in a March 9 blog post.
Now many of those same drivers could be facing another jump in pump prices as winter weather moves back in several parts of the country.
With all of that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars team took a look at gas price averages during other winter storms to see the impact they had on gas prices at those times.
What happened to gas prices the last time there was a big snow storm in many parts of the country?
In January and February 2026, a pair of winter storm dumped several inches of snow and sleet on most of the east coast, with cities like New York City and Philadelphia getting over a foot of snow. The storm caused supply disruptions push the national average price of gas to at the time to $2.87 per gallon, according to AAA.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in January 2026 was $2.81, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Here’s what happened to gas prices in the months before and after that:
- Gas price before storm: $2.89
- Gas price immediately after storm: $2.81
- Gas price one month later: $2.91
What happened to gas prices during other big snow storms?
December 2022: Midwestern United States, Great Lakes, New England winter storms
- Gas price before storm: $3.69
- Gas price immediately after storm: $3.21
- Gas price one month later: $3.40
March 2021: Pacific Northwest, Western United States, Rocky Mountains, Midwestern United States, New England blizzards
- Gas price before storm: $2.50
- Gas price immediately after storm: $2.81
- Gas price one month later: $2.86
January 2016: Pacific Northwest, Great Plains, South Central United States, Eastern United States blizzard
- Gas price before storm: $2.04
- Gas price immediately after storm: $1.95
- Gas price one month later: $1.76
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