Where will Houston’s gas prices rank nationally on September 22, 2008?

As I write, Ike is still pummeling Houston and the amount of damage is not known. But for sure, there is probably going to be problems with the refineries in the Houston area that supply a large % of our national gasoline supply. Price will be going up even as oil prices drop.

Last week, Houston had the lowest price for a gallon of gas of ten cities reported by the EIA (Energy Information Administration) at $3.496 for Gasoline-All Grades as reported by the EIA. The other cities reported are:
Boston 3.577
Chicago 3.949
Cleveland 3.588
Denver 3.738
Los Angeles 3.882
Miami 3.882
New York City 3.677
San Francisco 3.976
Seattle 3.834

So from having the lowest prices nationally among these cities, where will Houston’s prices rank for the report for September 22 in the aftermath of Ike?

If there is no report issued for Houston because of the damage from Ike the question will be voided. In the even of a tie with another city, the settlement will be based upon the position they are both in.

ALSO...please consider there may be laws in place to prevent price gouging, but there may still be a dramatic change in prices even with those laws being applied. Most of those laws should be directed towards individual dealers and stations in regards to their pricing. What we may see is significant price increases from the distributors themselves, which may or may not be covered by the laws in place.

Source for data:
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_a_epm0_pte_cpgal_w.htm