With a long line behind them, customers pump gas ahead of Labor Day weekend at Costco Gas Station in San Antonio, TX, on Sept. 2, 2022.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio drivers were paying $3.09 for a gallon of regular gasoline Tuesday, up 5 cents from a week earlier, signaling that this summer’s steady declines may be ending.

Prices at the pump have eased significantly since June 13, when San Antonio saw a record-high average price of $4.68, according to AAA Texas. But even after falling through the summer, the price of a gallon of gasoline is still 42 cents more than a year ago.

Motorists in San Antonio continue finding lower prices than the average Texan, however. Tuesday’s statewide average was $3.16, up 13 percent from the year-ago average of $2.80.

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Nationwide, drivers were paying an average $3.67 on Tuesday, the auto club said.

A worker refuels a gasoline tanker truck at the Valero Energy Corp. oil refinery terminal in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. The U.S. and other major oil-consuming nations are considering releasing 70 million barrels of oil from their emergency stockpiles as crude prices surge amid growing concerns over supply after Russia invaded Ukraine. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

“All streaks have to end at some point, and the national average for a gallon of gas has fallen $1.34 since its peak in mid-June,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesman.

The decline in gasoline prices has in part been a result of recession fears sparked by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Fed has been trying to tame higher-than-expected levels of inflation this summer by raising interest rates to tamp down spending and investment. But that could also mean lower demand and prices for crude oil.

The price of a barrel of West Texas crude, the U.S. benchmark, was $84.31 early Tuesday afternoon. That was a decline from prices north of $120 per barrel in mid-June, when tight oil supplies ran up against strong demand during the summer driving season.

Emissions rise from an oil refinery at sunset in Texas City, Texas, on Feb. 16, 2017. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Luke Sharrett.

“But there are big factors tugging on global oil prices — war, COVID, economic recession, and hurricane season,” Gross said. “All this uncertainty could push oil prices higher, likely resulting in slightly higher pump prices.”

Other issues are at play, too. Refineries in Indiana and California have faced problems — such as an electrical fire — processing crude, for example. That could push up pump prices in the near-term after 14 consecutive weeks of declines in the national average, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for the gas price-tracking site GasBuddy.

“While gasoline could nudge higher, diesel prices should continue to ease after a much-needed jump in inventories last week,” he said.

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AAA Texas surveys pump prices in metro areas statewide. Drivers in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area were paying the lowest prices in the state, at $2.96 per gallon. The next lowest prices were in Brownsville, where drivers paid $2.99 on average.

Drivers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were paying the state’s highest average gas prices at $3.35 per gallon.

Diego Mendoza-Moyers is a business reporter covering energy, manufacturing and labor. A native of El Paso, he has previously written for the Albany Times Union, Las Vegas Review-Journal and Arizona Republic. He graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in journalism. Call Diego at 210-250-3165 or email diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net