Could gas prices start dropping in Arizona?

Gas prices in Arizona could drop soon, analyst says

FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports.

PHOENIX - Gas prices remain at record highs in Arizona, but experts say it could possibly get better in just the next few weeks.

However, "could" is the key word. The market is volatile, and there are a lot of potential changes when Ukraine and Russia are added in.

Arizona has been hit particularly hard this month. Despite gas prices dropping 10 cents in states like California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, Arizona has not seen any drop yet.

In fact, the state is still within 1 cent of the record high, which was $4.69 a gallon yesterday.

Patrick De Haan, an industry analyst at Gas Buddy, say the reason is because of issues with the California refineries that supply the state.

That has been fixed, and he says there could be a big drop at Arizona pumps in two weeks.

"A lot of Phoenix gasoline comes from those refineries in Southern California…so any areas supplied by those refineries saw prices go up dramatically," said De Haan. "But now those issues look to be in the rearview mirror. The wholesale price of gasoline has plummeted for those affected areas, so Phoenix motorists will likely start to see more relief at the pump."

How big of a drop? De Haan anticipates that prices could fall by 25 to 50 cents in the next two to three weeks.

However, with the world stage right now, anything can happen. Some drivers say that a 25 to 50 cent drop still wouldn't be enough relief.