Michigan gas prices average under $2.50 ahead of Memorial Day

Hundreds of thousands of Michigan drivers are leaving their homes and hitting the road for the official start of summer.

Memorial Day is Monday, brining the holiday weekend with it - and climbing gas prices.

In Metro Detroit, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $2.47, up $0.30 since a month ago. It's not all bad news though. It's about $0.25 less than it Memorial Day last year.

The reason for the price change is total or partial shutdown of fuel pipelines and refineries in southeast Michigan, tightening supplies of gasoline. However, Governor Rick Snyder has loosened restrictions on how long carriers can be on the road, meaning they can spend more time on the roads to deliver fuel to the station. The move is expected to keep prices roughly where they are.

According to AAA, an estimated 1.2 million Michiganders will travel this weekend, the highest number in nine years.

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