ROANOKE, Va.—
Gas prices are on the rise again, jumping by double digits in some parts of the country in the last week alone. They're heading higher here as well.The latest spike in gas prices is coming a little early this year. AAA Mid-Atlantic says oil prices are rising, and some U.S. refineries are shutting down. Normally the seasonal upswing wouldn't start until late February or early March, but drivers in southwest Virginia have seen the average price of gasoline rise by a nickel a gallon in the last week.
"I'd like to see 'em lower," driver Frances Shrader told us.
"Just like everything else, it pays to shop around with your gas," said Kevin Gales.
And the next couple of months won't offer much relief. AAA expects gas prices to continue rising through February and March, pushing $4 a gallon in some parts of the country. That comes as no surprise to the people we met at the pump.
But Kendall Nunn found a silver lining in Virginia's high prices. "Typically, it bothers me sometimes," Nunn told us Monday morning, "but being from New York, I'd rather have the gas down here than up there."
Despite this seasonal spike, AAA says prices should moderate.
Its experts are predicting the national average for gasoline will actually be about .10 lower in 2013, than the $3.60 a gallon we saw in 2012.
