AAA: September is on pace to be the priciest September ever at the pump, averaging $4.30 so far, well past the $3.83 record set in 2023.

A little bad news with your coffee: after August set records at the pump, September is on track to become the most expensive September ever for gasoline, al.com reports, citing AAA. "Typically, the start of autumn brings lower gas prices, but lingering volatility in the Strait of Hormuz and the high cost of crude oil are driving up pump prices," AAA wrote in a blog post Thursday. "This month is on track to set a new September record. So far, the average for this month is $4.30, higher than the previous September record of $3.83 set in 2023." Prices rose another 5 cents nationally over the past week, and the supply figures point the same way: gasoline demand rose from 8.79 million barrels a day to 8.84 million, total domestic supply slipped from 207.7 million barrels to 206 million, and production dipped too. The spread across the map is wide. As of Sept. 25, AAA had California at $6.288 a gallon, Hawaii at $5.581 and Washington at $5.547, while Indiana sat at $3.941 and Texas at $3.953. The war with Iran has pushed pump prices up around the globe since it began in late February. Store-owner math: every nickel at the pump gets paid twice on Main Street, once in the family's tank and again in the fuel surcharge tucked into every delivery that restocks the shelves. Kitchen-table translation: more demand plus less supply equals higher prices. That's arithmetic, not politics, and no price cap from either party repeals it. Real relief comes from more barrels moving, through the strait and out of the refineries. Until then, combine your errands, keep your tires properly inflated and compare stations, because the gap between two pumps on the same road can be real money by the end of the month.