After rising sharply over the past few weeks, the national average price of gasoline has taken an abrupt, but expected, downturn while diesel prices have soared, an industry analyst said.

The national average fell 5.4 cents per gallon in the past week and stands at $3.86, according to price-tracking service GasBuddy. That’s about 21 cents more than a month ago and about 57 cents more than a year ago.

The decline comes as refinery issues have eased in the West and Great Lakes region, overpowering increases elsewhere, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

“We’ll see a continued sharp drop in gas prices on the West Coast, including areas like Las Vegas and Phoenix, which are supplied by refiners in California, as refinery outages have been addressed. The Great Lakes will see prices drift lower as BP’s Whiting refinery is soon to complete maintenance,” De Haan said.

“In addition, oil prices have cooled off slightly after OPEC+’s decision to cut production, and that should slow increases elsewhere,” he said. “Diesel and heating oil prices are likely to continue to rise as extremely low inventories of middle of the barrel products like these two push prices higher.”

The national average price of diesel has increased about 19 cents in the past week and stands at $5.06 per gallon.

According to AAA, Pennsylvania’s average gas price is about $3.95. That’s up about 7 cents from a week ago and about 9 cents from a month ago.

Statewide, averages range from $3.84 to $4.03, with lower prices seen in the state’s eastern counties and higher in the west.

County averages in the Pittsburgh area, according to AAA:

• Allegheny: $4

• Armstrong: $4

• Beaver: $4.01

• Butler: $3.99

• Washington: $4

• Westmoreland: $3.99

GasBuddy reports the Pittsburgh-area average at $3.98, based on its survey of 731 stations. That’s down 0.4 cents from last week, but it is 7 cents higher than a month ago and 54.3 cents higher than a year ago.

Prices in the Pittsburgh region range from $3.45 per gallon to $4.19, a difference of 74 cents per gallon. Statewide, prices range from $3.45 to $6.19, according to GasBuddy.

Neighboring areas and their current prices as reported by GasBuddy:

• Akron: $3.67, down 24.2 cents from last week.

• Cleveland: $3.76, down 14.4 cents from last week.

• West Virginia: $3.54, up 2.4 cents from last week.

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