Regular gasoline in Riverside County averaged $6.174 a gallon on Friday, Sept. 25, the highest price since October 2022.

The reading marked the 37th consecutive day of increases, according to Patch, citing figures from AAA and the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). The price rose 2.8 cents in a single day.

As we reported Sept. 24, the county average had already reached its highest point since September 2023. It has since climbed past that level to a milestone not seen since Oct. 12, 2022.

Over the 37-day streak, the county average has risen 65.4 cents. The increase followed the start of the joint U.S./Israel military action against Iran on Feb. 28, according to the report. Since that date, the Riverside County average has jumped $1.623 per gallon.

The national picture is less severe but still climbing. The U.S. average rose to $4.482 on Friday, Sept. 25, up $1.50 since the conflict began. That puts Riverside County roughly $1.69 above the national average.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said the national average is at its highest level this late in the calendar year. On Monday, Sept. 21, De Haan wrote on X that the prior week brought "another bad week for consumers, truckers, farmers and beyond as gasoline and diesel prices continued to jump."

@GasBuddyGuy: "another bad week for consumers, truckers, farmers and beyond as gasoline and diesel prices continued to jump, with some eye-watering increases in the Great Lakes"

Compared with a year ago, Riverside County drivers are paying $1.574 more per gallon. Week over week, the average is up 14.8 cents.