Gas prices in Los Angeles set 11 new records in 12 days

The average price of gas in Los Angeles reached $4.772 per gallon on Tuesday, setting a new record for the most populous county in California and the US for the 11th time in 12 days, local media reported.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the county has risen by 10.4 cents over the past 16 days, including three-tenths of a cent on Monday and seven-tenths of a cent on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported citing data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Oil Price Information Service.

The average price of a gallon gas in the county, home to over 10 million residents, is now 9.7 cents higher than one month ago and $1.22 more than a year ago.

California is now the state with the highest average cost for gas in the US. The average price of a gallon of gas in the state is currently more than a dollar above the national average.

Gas prices across the US climbed steadily in the past year. The national average for a gallon of gas in the country was $3.48 on Monday, which was 18 cents more than a month ago and 98 cents more than a year ago, said the AAA in a news release.

The organisation noted that moderating winter weather and optimism over a potential fading of the Omicron variant has led to an increase in gas demand.

"More drivers fueling up here coupled with a persistent tight supply of oil worldwide provides the recipe for higher prices at the pump," said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross in the release.

"And unfortunately for consumers, it does not appear that this trend will change anytime soon."