Gas prices continue to soar as some Utah counties hit $5 a gallon average


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SALT LAKE CITY — It's not your imagination – the price of gas is getting worse and worse just about every day.

Costs soared to new records overnight.

Utah was averaging $4.99 a gallon Wednesday morning, with the national average not far behind at $4.96 per gallon.

People are still fueling up despite the skyrocketing prices, but AAA says drivers may have to change their daily driving habits at some point.

"I'm moving out to Indiana, so I gotta get there any way for my job, said Will Grech, who is heading on a cross-country trip this summer. "I'm probably going to have to commute to my job so it's still going to eat into what money I get for myself."

In the past four days, the price of gas has jumped $0.20 with an unprecedented $5 per gallon national average on the horizon.

"A lot of it is because inventories every week are getting smaller, and the market is growing more panicked over the fact that refineries are not able to keep up with demand," said Patrick De Haan, Gasbuddy's head petroleum analyst.

Adding to summer costs, Gasbuddy says, is the special summer blend of gasoline meant to lower emissions, which can drive up prices by $0.15 a gallon.

"The concern is that this is going to last for most of the summer. And it could worsen. If we get a major hurricane or any refinery shutdowns," De Haan said. "That is the critical infrastructure this summer."

It's not just fuel for your vehicle. AAA says the average price of diesel is also at an all-time high, which means you're likely to see a further impact on the cost of your food, clothing and more.

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Tamara Vaifanua, KSL-TVTamara Vaifanua

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