Last week, oil prices were buoyed by increasing geopolitical tensions, ending the week 7% higher on concerns of potential conflict in the Middle East. Domestically produced West Texas Intermediate crude settled above $65 a barrel — a price not seen since last September. Brent crude ended trading Friday above $70 a barrel for the first time since July 2025.
Along with higher oil prices, regional pump prices faced pressure from a massive jump in demand likely caused by millions of Americans gassing up before the powerful winter storm that recently brought snow, ice and bitter cold to much of the country. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) last week reported demand reached 8.75 million barrels a day for the week ending Jan. 23 — a 925,000 barrel a day increase from the prior week. While post-storm demand is expected to weaken in the EIA’s next report, the cold weather gripping much of the U.S. is causing some production disruptions: Refinery runs fell by 437,000 barrels a day last week, according to the EIA, and multiple refiners have since reported cold-weather complications in the wake of the storm that have not yet shown up in the agency’s data.
“Historically, gasoline prices tend to start climbing this time of year, and this year, the rise has been kick-started by severe winter weather,” said Jillian Young, director of public relations for AAA Northeast. “Time will tell if recent price movements are part of a larger trend — or whether prices cool as temperatures warm.”
AAA’s Feb. 2 survey of fuel prices found the national average down a penny from last week ($2.88), averaging $2.87 per gallon. The Feb. 2 national average price was 4 cents higher than a month ago ($2.83) and 22 cents lower than this day last year ($3.09).
| Region | Current Price* | One Week Ago | One Month Ago | One Year Ago |
| Connecticut | $2.87 | $2.84 | $2.92 | $3.08 |
| Massachusetts | $2.90 | $2.88 | $2.95 | $3.03 |
| New Jersey | $2.86 | $2.77 | $2.82 | $3.05 |
| New York | $2.98 | $2.97 | $3.03 | $3.16 |
| Rhode Island | $2.86 | $2.82 | $2.87 | $3 |
*Prices as of Feb. 2, 2026
As of Feb. 2, Oklahoma and Arkansas had the lowest prices in the nation at $2.36 and $2.43, respectively. Hawaii and California held the highest prices in the nation at $4.39 and $4.35 respectively.
The AAA Gas Prices website is your resource for up-to-date fuel price information. Search for average gas prices on national, state and metro levels by regular, plus, premium and diesel.
Based in Rhode Island, Jillian Young is AAA Northeast’s director of public relations. She regularly appears in local TV, radio and print media to discuss traffic safety, travel, insurance and more.
