Thanksgiving weekend expected to break gas price records

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - As Thanksgiving weekend approaches, millions of Americans are expected to travel. The highways will be busy, and gas prices may make you rethink your travel plans.

According to GasBuddy, gas prices will be the highest in history this Thanksgiving.

The national average gas price is expected to be $3.68, breaking a record set ten years ago. It is also nearly .30 cents higher than last Thanksgiving.

Still, that’s not stopping families from gathering.

“I mean, my car is pretty good on gas; like ten bucks gets me almost half a tank. It’s weird on gas, so I’m not really too worried about the pricing, but it could go lower,” Trent Harris, an ECU student said.

AAA reports this weekend will be the third busiest Thanksgiving weekend since they have been keeping records. It estimates that 54.6 million Americans will be hitting the road, making the demand for gas even higher.

“A lot of people are waiting last minute to travel, and they might even actually travel Thanksgiving day, which is actually probably the least congested day to travel, but we expect it to be a high volume,” Tiffany Wright, AAA Carolinas public affairs director said. “For many people, this is their first big road trip in more than two years.”

The head of petroleum analysis for Gas Buddy said that even though prices are record-breaking, some gas stations in North Carolina are under $3 a gallon.

“It really just depends on the last time the station bought gasoline, so you never know where those low prices pop up, and that’s why it’s really critical to shop around. You never know if it’s going to be your lucky day, and you might find one of those under $3 stations nearby,” Patrick De Haan said.

If you are concerned with gas prices, don’t worry. GasBuddy says while prices are at a record high this weekend, they should start to decrease within the next few weeks.

If you’re looking to avoid the traffic this year, Thanksgiving day will be your best day to travel, with GasBuddy predicting that Wednesday afternoon between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. will have highways the busiest this year.

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