Terry Richards | The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — Lowndes County’s gas prices rose significantly again last week, according to statistics.

The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Valdosta Sunday was $2.56, up from $2.51 seven days earlier, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

That average put the city right in the middle of prices for the state as a whole, with seven major markets showing higher prices and seven more markets showing lower prices, said AAA.

The lowest price for fuel in Valdosta Sunday was $2.52 a gallon at a store on North St. Augustine Road, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline Sunday was $2.66 a gallon, up five cents from the previous week, while Georgia’s average of $2.58 was up eight cents in the same period, the auto club said.

In Thursday’s market action, benchmark U.S. crude rose 56 cents to $64.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 74 cents to $70.27 per barrel in London.

In other energy futures trading, heating oil gained 1 cent to $2.03 a gallon. Wholesale gasoline rose a penny to $2.02 a gallon. Natural gas added 4 cents to $2.73 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. stock markets were closed for Good Friday.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.