Gas has jumped 16 cents in a week to a $4.47 national average. Will AAA's average top $4.55 by Sept 24?

AAA's national average price for a gallon of gasoline reached $4.48 by September 24, 2026, up nearly 5 cents from the previous week but short of the $4.55 threshold in question. The increase pushed the average to its highest level for this time of year on record, according to AAA. Analysts pointed to continued volatility around the Strait of Hormuz and elevated global crude oil costs following weeks of tension tied to the broader Iran conflict, which had disrupted regional shipping and tightened supply expectations. Prices had already climbed 16 cents in the week before the question's window began, part of a monthslong upward trend that left every state more expensive at the pump than a year earlier. The national average continued rising through late September but did not cross $4.55 within the specified window. The prediction community leaned toward "yes" at 63 percent, expecting prices to breach that mark, making this a community miss, though the underlying trend the community was reacting to, rising pump prices amid Middle East tensions, proved directionally correct even as the specific threshold held.