MANATEE - Coming off a month when motorists paid more for a gallon of gas than any January on record, experts predict prices at the pump will continue to climb with the temperature.

Turmoil in the Middle East, the switch to summer petroleum blends and a generous U.S. travel forecast has most industry insiders projecting gas prices to top $4 a gallon by Memorial Day.

The price of gas already is on the rise, led by the Bradenton-Sarasota metropolitan area, which has the highest average fuel costs along Florida’s Gulf Coast. That trend isn’t expected to slow until next winter, when demand typically tapers off.