Thanksgiving Gas Prices Expected to Be Highest in Five Years

(UNDATED) – Partick DeHann, with Gasbuddy.com, says that gas prices are expected to be as high on Turkey Day as they have been in five years. Even at that, officials say the price will be relatively affordable.

GasBuddy projects the national average gas price this Thanksgiving will be $2.56 per gallon.

In some bigger cities like Indianapolis, gas prices have risen 4.4 cents per gallon in the past week.

The national average price is down 2.6 cents per gallon from October but 5.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy’s Annual Holiday Travel Survey, 30% of participants said high gas prices were impacting their travel plans, a 2% decrease from last year.

“Expect average gas prices to drop between now and Christmas, giving motorists something extra to be thankful for,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

AAA says more than 55 million travelers are making plans to kick off the holiday season with a trip of 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving. It’s the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking in 2000.