Gas prices will continue to climb as summer hits home stretch

About those surprisingly low summer gas prices we’ve been enjoying the past couple months: It’s time to put them in the rear-view mirror.

Prices rose about 12 cents in the past week in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, and heavy demand will continue to push costs upward, according to AAA’s weekly update.

Analysts predicted an increase of up to 10 cents this week, and that was before Tropical Storm Emily formed just off the West Coast of Florida early Monday.

“Strong demand and another round of supply draws pushed the price of crude to its highest point in nine weeks,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said.

The average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded on Monday in the two-county region was $2.28, up from $2.16 a week earlier. Statewide, the average was $2.29, while the nationwide average was $2.32.

According to the GasBuddy.com daily survey of more than 300 area outlets, Manatee County stations were averaging $2.27 per gallon on Monday, the same as in Hillsborough County. The average price in Sarasota County was $2.29, the same as in Pinellas County.

“Watch for some volatility in oil and gasoline prices in the weeks ahead,” GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said. “August will likely feature the summer’s highest gasoline prices.”

AAA reported the regions with the most-expensive averages on Monday in Florida are West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($2.37), Gainesville ($2.30) and Miami ($2.30). The least-expensive averages could be found in Pensacola ($2.24), Tallahassee ($2.25), and Fort Myers-Cape Coral ($2.27).

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Gas prices will continue to climb as summer hits home stretch."