AAA Texas: Weekend Gas Watch; Hurricane Lili Pushes Gas Prices Higher

    HOUSTON--Oct. 4, 2002--The statewide average price for regular self-serve climbed higher as Hurricane Lili bore down on the Gulf Coast, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by AAA Texas. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    The Texas' statewide average is $1.36 -- two cents higher than last week. The San Antonio area posted the biggest increase although it still has the least expensive fuel at $1.318 a gallon, up more than two cents from the week before. The Austin - San Marcos area and Houston posted the second biggest gain of nearly two cents. In the Austin - San Marcos area the average for a gallon of fuel is $1.325, while Houston is somewhat higher at $1.355 a gallon. Dallas tops the list at $1.360, up 1.5 cents a gallon.
    "Wholesale prices along the Gulf Coast increased as Hurricane Lili approached due to fears that refineries could lower production or even sustain damage," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "This increase is already working its way to the pumps and probably will subside as Hurricane Lili diminishes."

	   Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., Oct. 4, 2002:

                                   Change from
Area                   Regular     last week       Record Price
----                   -------    ------------    ----------------
Austin - San Marcos    $1.325      +1.8 cents     $1.538 (5/15/01)

Corpus Christi         $1.328      +1.6 cents     $1.505 (5/8/01)

Dallas                 $1.360      +1.5 cents     $1.666 (5/12/01)

Ft. Worth              $1.354      +1.6 cents     $1.660 (5/22/01)

Houston                $1.355      +1.8 cents     $1.639 (5/12/01)

San Antonio            $1.318      +2.3 cents     $1.498 (5/9/01)

    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.