Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to affect worldwide gas prices, including those in the Phila. region. AAA data on the budget hit was reported by Rob Tornoe for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The current price for a gallon of gas ($4.30) is in stark contrast to where it was a year ago ($2.95). It is also the highest average price of gasoline in the region on record, going above the previously recorded high of $4.16 per gallon in June 2008.

Even the 1973 gasoline-rationing oil crisis didn’t represent as stiff a hit to local drivers. Gas at that time rose from 38.5 cents to 55.1 cents a gallon, the result of global political-economic upheavals. The latter figure translates to $3.48 today.

Current gas prices have been climbing steadily. The Philadelphia average was $3.67 a gallon a month ago and $3.79 a week ago.

This price increases are the direct result of Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine. The invasion precipitated a significant surge in the price of oil, a trend that predates the February 24 aggression.

“The Russian invasion is throwing uncertainty and emotions into the market,” said Villanova University chemical engineering professor Scott Jackson. “The price of oil — and with it, the price of gasoline — has spiked much faster than anyone had anticipated.”

Read more about regional gas prices in The Philadelphia Inquirer.