As a result of the BP Whiting Refinery fire last week, gas prices have noticeably been starting to increase across the Midwest
Huge jumps have taken place in Ohio, where gas prices have shot up by as much as 49 cents per gallon, according to the gas tracking website GasBuddy. Gas prices have increased by as much as 32 cents in Michigan and by as much as 26 cents in Indiana, rising in the Muncie, South Bend and Fort Wayne metros.
The increases have not yet been as dramatic in Northwest Indiana, the backyard of the Midwest's largest refinery. As of Tuesday, gas cost an average of $2.81 in Lake County, $2.97 in Porter County and $3.03 in LaPorte County, according to AAA.
The BP Whiting Refinery suffered an operational incident Thursday night that resulted in a fire and flaring. Multiple units, including the crude distillation unit, went offline at the 440,000-barrel-a-day refinery, according to Reuters.
Wholesale gas prices shot up by 20 cents per gallon overnight. GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan predicted it would lead to prices cycling at gas stations or jumping as the gas stations refuel at the higher spot prices.
He said the Great Lakes states were now seeing "huge jumps in gas prices due to a major refinery outage." But he said there were signs the BP Whiting Refinery would be able to get back to full-tilt soon.
