Gas Prices Rise Amid Overseas Worries

The last time gas prices spiked like this was following Hurricane Katrina, AAA Mid Atlantic says.

Fuel prices in the region continued their upward climb over the weekend forcing drivers to pay more to get where they’re going.

Today, the price to fill up a 15-gallon gallon gas tank at stations in North Stafford will cost you $51.21 on average.

Most gas prices in North Stafford average $3.41 per gallon, but according to AAA Mid Atlantic’s Gas Price Finder, the most expensive gas in the Stafford area is at the Shell station on Courthouse Road (Va. 630).

In Woodbridge, the price goes up an average of $52.72 to fill a 15-gallon gas tank.

Fuel prices in the area are averaging $3.51 per gallon, but the most expensive gas in Woodbridge is at a BP station at 13400 Jefferson Davis Highway, at $3.55 per gallon, according to the Gas Price Finder.

In Lorton, the price rises again to $53.15 to fill up a 15-gallon gas tank.

The average price for fuel here is $3.54 per gallon, but the most expensive gas is at Southern Maryland Oil at 8225 Gunston Cove Road.

This time last year, the average price to fill a 15-gallon tank in the Potomac Communities cost residents $39.71.

The high prices at the pump come as the price of a barrel of oil broke the $100 mark last week, settling at $102.23 a barrel.

“The national average gas price jumped 18 cents this week and 31 cents over the past two weeks, driven by soaring crude oil prices in response to continued unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as speculation that such uprisings will spread to other oil heavyweights in the region. Prices at the pump are in a state of flux right now, surpassing the $3.50 a gallon benchmark this weekend and heading higher as crude oil prices continue to climb, said AAA Mid Atlantic spokesman John Townsend.”

And it’s not going to get any easier at the pump any time soon.

Gas prices are projected to rise above $3.75 per gallon by April, AAA predicts.