When will they drop … or go even higher?

The price of gasoline remained just below $4 Tuesday at Casey’s in west Brookings. The price of gas is expected to drop, but costs for unleaded regular here have been at the $4 mark for more than a week. Photo by Ken Curley/Register

BROOKINGS – Analysts have been predicting for weeks that gasoline prices are about to drop, but various parts of the country Wednesday continued to report rising costs at the pump.

In Brookings, the price of unleaded regular at most stations has stalled at just one-tenth of a cent under $4 a gallon, believed to be the highest price ever for the community.

It’s hovered at the $4 mark for more than a week.

On Tuesday, AAA South Dakota reported the averaged cost of regular self-serve at $3.95 in Brookings – about 4 cents below what most service stations carried on their signs. AAA noted the price rose about 2 cents over the previous week.

Believe it or not, the Brookings self-serve pump price wasn’t too different at this time last year: just under $3.80 a gallon.

The AAA report says that Brookings doesn’t have the highest gas prices in the state. Watertown and Madison are both listed with a $3.999 average, and Pierre shows an even $4. The average price of unleaded regular in Sioux Falls Tuesday was $3.94.

Virtually all reporting points in the state rose from 2 cents to 12 cents a gallon over last week. Statewide, the average cost for unleaded regular is $3.907, up 8 cents from the previous week.

Although oil prices could drop “at any time,” it's unclear when gas prices will actually decline. But they've decreased five of the past 10 Septembers, according to AAA.

"It has been a really tough summer for drivers nationwide, with high gas prices breaking daily records," AAA spokesperson Avery Ash said in a news release. "Every week there seems to be something new driving up gas prices, whether it is a major refinery fire, a pipeline closure or a Gulf Coast hurricane."

Nationwide, gasoline prices rose 30.8 cents in August. The three main factors driving gas prices in August were crude oil costs, regional supply problems in the Midwest and West Coast caused by refinery and pipeline disruptions, and Gulf Coast refinery closures forced by Isaac, according to AAA.