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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Commuters getting ready for the holiday travel may have noticed that the prices at the pump have been on the rise as of late.</p><p>AAA Mid-Atlantic, however, said that despite rising prices, holiday commuters will still enjoy the cheapest gas prices in 12 years.</p><p>Yesterday&#8217;s average gas price in Wilkes-Barre was $2.10 per gallon &#8212; a year ago on that date, the average was $2.50.</p><p>&#8220;As they (commuters) hit the road, they will still pay the cheapest prices for gasoline for this time of year since 2004,&#8221; said Jana Tidwell, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. &#8220;The recent uptick in the average retail price of gasoline can be attributed in part to another rite of spring &#8212; the seasonal switch-over from winter-grade to summer grade gasoline.&#8221;</p><p>So what&#8217;s the difference between the two blends of gasoline?</p><p>&#8220;The difference between summer- and winter-blend gasoline involves the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) of the fuel,&#8221; AAA&#8217;s website reports. &#8220;RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at a given temperature. The more volatile a gasoline (higher RVP), the easier it evaporates.&#8221;</p><p>Winter-blended fuel has a higher RVP because the fuel has to be able to evaporate at lower temperatures to run the engine in colder temperatures.</p><p>&#8220;The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says conventional summer-blend gasoline contains 1.7 percent more energy than winter-blend gas, which is one reason why gas mileage is slightly better in the summer,&#8221; AAA&#8217;s website says. &#8220;However, the summer-blend is also more expensive to produce, and that cost is passed on to the motorist.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Today&#8217;s average price at the pump</strong></p><p>Gas prices jumped by a few cents across the board overnight.</p><p>AAA Mid-Atlantic provided the following data for today&#8217;s average gas prices:</p><p>&#8226; Wilkes-Barre area gas average at $2.14 today, up 4 cents overnight and up 7 cents in the last week.</p><p>&#8226; Pennsylvania gas average at $2.13 today, up 3 cents overnight and up 8 cents in the last week.</p><p>&#8226; National gas average at $2.03 today, up 2 cents overnight, up 6 cents in the last week.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

AAA: Gas prices this Easter are the cheapest in 12 years