COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – After five weeks of relief at the pump, the average gas price in Columbus has risen two weeks in a row. After prices at the pump plummeted by nearly 60 cents over a five-week period, the average gasoline price in Columbus has risen by 26.2 cents over the past two weeks, including 12.1 this past week. According to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in the Columbus area, the average price sits at $3.23 per gallon. The current price is still 8.3 cents lower per gallon than last month and 17.2 cents per gallon lower than this time one year ago. In Ohio, the average price of gas also jumped 10 cents from $3.08 per gallon to $3.18 per gallon. Columbus Gas Prices Tracker The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $2.74 a gallon, while the most expensive was $3.39, a difference of 65 cents per gallon. Nationally, gas prices also experienced a small rise of 1.4 cents per gallon to reach $3.17, while the price of diesel continues to hit new lows since January 2022, settling at $3.54 per gallon. According to GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan, the overall outlook remains promising for most states across the country heading into the fall season, despite the recent uptick in prices, mostly to due refinery maintenance. “(Some states) have seen increases due to some refinery snags and maintenance that have emerged, temporarily delaying declines in (those) areas,” said De Haan. “For now, with oil prices falling back below $70 per barrel, the national average may be a bit stuck in the low $3s until fall maintenance wraps up, which could help bring a sub-$3 national average later this fall.”