California Gas Prices Drop Amid National Average Rise

California's average gasoline price continues to drop, falling by four cents to $5.58 per gallon over the past week. According to AAA Mountain West Group spokesperson Doug Johnson, while gasoline demand is down, crude oil prices are keeping pump prices higher than normal for this time of year.

The national average gas price has increased to $4.07 following a brief drop to $4.00 on Monday. Crude oil prices have returned to the $80 per barrel range amid continued uncertainty along the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to the rise in gas prices.

California's neighboring states also saw significant increases in gas prices, with Hawaii at $5.43 and Washington at $5.16 per gallon. The top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California, Hawaii, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.