PORTLAND, Ore. — Gas prices in Oregon, on average, are down 5 cents a gallon from a week ago. This is good news for the expected 600,000 Oregonians expected to travel over the long weekend, according to AAA.
But it won't last long.
Gas prices tend to rise after Memorial Day as summer travel demand begins and gas stations switch a required summer-blend that helps with air quality in the months with higher temperatures.
Currently, the average gas price in Oregon is $4.37 — the sixth-largest week-over-week drop for a state in the nation, AAA reported.
“Pump prices should continue their glacial descent through the long Memorial Day weekend, barring unforeseen events," said Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho. "That’s good news for drivers who’ll be taking a holiday road trip. Still, there are potential wild cards that could send pump prices higher this summer, including crude oil prices, major storms or hurricanes, or other disruptions in supplies.”
This Memorial Day weekend is expected to be the second-busiest on record for travel, with more than 43.8 million people predicted to hit the road, according to AAA. The last time the U.S. saw this much Memorial Day travel was in 2005.
PDX is expected to see thousands over the holiday weekend. Allison Ferre, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, says they will see a 17% increase in Memorial Day weekend passengers, and are expecting Friday to be the busiest travel day with 57,000 travelers.
According to GasBuddy, a near-record number of people in the U.S. plan to road trip this summer. Around 76% of Americans plan to hit the road between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend — which is about 18% more than in 2023. Overall, GasBuddy forecasts that gas prices will average $3.58 per gallon nationally between the two holiday weekends.