GasBuddy: Gas prices up for the fourth consecutive week, with more upward pressure

Gas prices are up for the fourth straight week, averaging $3.26 per gallon nationally, according to the tracking website GasBuddy, an increase of 8.7 cents a gallon from last Monday, and $3.23 a gallon in Virginia, up 11.9 cents per gallon from a week ago.

And with the summer driving season coming up, we’re only going to see more of the same.

“We have officially entered the time of year when gas prices traditionally start their spring fling, but we’ve already seen the streak of consecutive increases in the national average hit four weeks. While the early start could also mean an early end, we still have as many as eight weeks that gas prices typically increase, and anything can happen between now and then,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

The national average is up 16.7 cents per gallon from a month ago, but still stands 11.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Prices in Virginia are 26.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 2.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

The national average price of diesel has risen 10.0 cents in the last week and stands at $4.09 per gallon.