Gasoline prices at the pump soared up 15 to 30 cents per gallon this week. Prices went from around $2.45 per gallon to as high as $2.75 per gallon Wednesday. Among the lower prices were $2.55 gallon, some as high at $2.75. The numbers are from gasbuddy.com.

It’s the frigid temperatures that have gripped much of the nation from Texas to Maine that caused the recent jump in pump prices.

Nearly 20 percent of refining capacity is offline due to the extreme weather in the South. According to GasBuddy’s analysis, 11 refineries in Texas and one in Kansas have at least partially shut down due to the cold weather.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a news release that the quicker the affected refineries are able to come back online, the better, and perhaps less painful for motorists than if they remain out of service for even longer.

94.1 WGFA