Survey: Gas prices jump another dime
Lundberg: Unless demand drops, expect to pay even more
 |  Gas prices in the Atlanta, Georgia, area are around two dollars per gallon. |
| |
|
RISING GAS PRICES |
Gas prices in a sampling of cities: |
Seattle | $2.15 |
Phoenix | $2.11 |
Long Island, New York | $2.02 |
Detroit | $1.93 |
Boston | $1.89 |
Washington | $1.87 |
Atlanta | $1.81 |
|
(CNN) -- Gasoline prices have continued their record-breaking climb, jumping 10 cents during the past two weeks, a national survey reported Sunday.
A gallon of self-serve regular gasoline rose to an average cost of $1.93, the Lundberg survey of thousands of gas stations found. The survey was conducted Friday.
The price is up 45 cents since December 19, when prices began rising.
The 10 cent jump over two weeks is the largest since August, when a West Coast pipeline was closed and several refineries were temporarily shut down during a blackout, publisher Trilby Lundberg said.
The latest rise is due mostly to the higher price of crude oil, which is up to $40 a barrel, she told CNN.
Expect prices to keep rising, she warned.
"OPEC seems positioned to keep output constrained."
U.S. drivers have increased demand for gasoline as they head into the traditional peak driving season of June through August, Lundberg said, adding that economic recovery has put more drivers on the roads.
Also, U.S. environmental standards require specialized refining procedures, which translate into higher prices at the pump, she said.
"We cannot expect a big downward move in the very near term."
Short of a worldwide drop in the demand for oil, she said, "it appears further gasoline price increases are more likely than a plateau."
The lowest average price of a gallon of self-serve regular found by the survey was in Norfolk, Virginia, at $1.75; the highest was San Diego, California, at $2.25.
