PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The average U.S. retail price of gasoline has risen slightly just one day after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast to $2.604 per gallon, AAA reported Tuesday.
The average price of gasoline in Hawaii, the most expensive state for gasoline, held steady Monday at $2.906 per gallon, but California's average price rose to $2.809.
Among California cities accounting for the state's increased gasoline prices was San Francisco where prices rose Monday from $2.846 per gallon to $2.852.
The reason for the continuing rise in pump prices is the rise in gasoline's wholesale price, roughly double what it was at the beginning of the year. The effects of Hurricane Katrina pushed wholesale gasoline prices early Monday to yet another record high in European trading, $2.095 per gallon.
Despite the soaring wholesale prices, not all areas experienced rising gasoline prices Monday. The average cost of retail gasoline in Mississippi, which bore much of Katrina's fury, held steady Monday at $2.513 in Biloxi and $2.47 in Jackson. In New Orleans gasoline actually fell from $2.482 per gallon to $2.475.
