Average gas price once again at $2 a gallon in Texas

After 28 straight weeks, the average price for a gallon of gas in North Texas and across the state once again hit $2.

The price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas leaped 8 cents in Fort Worth and Arlington and 7 cents statewide, while in Dallas the price jumped 6 cents to hit $2.01, according to AAA Texas Fuel Gauge. Nationally, the average price for a gallon of gas is $2.22, the agency reported.

In the state’s major metropolitan areas, drivers in El Paso were paying the most at $2.07, and motorists in Corpus Christi were still enjoying gas at $1.94 a gallon, according to AAA Texas.

For weeks, analysts predicted gas prices would climb. Refineries making the more expensive but environmentally sensitive summer blend of fuel are partly to blame. The gasoline burns cleaner than the fuel sold during the winter.

Prices were also expected to rise because of higher demand as the summer driving season nears.

Though gas is still 40 cents below what it cost a year ago, AAA Texas said the lingering low prices have changed consumer attitudes about what they should shell out for gasoline.

Half of U.S. drivers now believe that gas is “too high” at $2.50 a gallon, according to an AAA survey. As recently as 2014, gas was considered too pricey when it hit $3.30 a gallon.

“The lower price environment for gas prices has not only led to drivers taking to the roads at record levels, but it is also shifting attitudes about various price points,” AAA Texas/New Mexico spokesman Doug Shupe said in a statement.

Of course, it is still possible to find gas below $2 a gallon.

Fortworthgasprices.com, the website run by Gas Buddy, showed 15 area stations selling gas between $1.81 and $1.85 a gallon.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Average gas price once again at $2 a gallon in Texas."