Your Stories Q&A: How high will gas prices climb this spring?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – You ask, we answer!

It’s that time of year when gas prices start to creep. Currently, the Syracuse area has seen a modest increase over the past month.

According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in the Syracuse metro is $3.29. That’s up about a nickel from last month, but lower when compared to a year ago ($3.43).

AAA recently wrote in a release:

This past week, we saw the national average for a gallon of gasoline jump up by 9 cents. The upward trend is likely to continue as travelers start heading out of town for the Spring Break season. Historically, March and April bring higher gas prices as demand rises. With milder temperatures comes more road trips, and this time of year tends to be a precursor to the summer driving season.

Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis, said this is the time of year when gas prices start to climb and generally keep climbing through Memorial Day.

“All that has to do with three main issues: Refineries are doing maintenance ahead of the start of the summer driving season, the switch from winter to summer gasoline, and demand is starting to go up.”

De Haan said by Memorial Day, gas prices in the Syracuse area could rise another $.35 to $.85.

De Haan said for prices to reach the higher end of the scale, there would likely need to be a disruption at a refinery or in the economy.

De Haan said he thinks it’s more realistic that Syracuse sees a $.35 to $.50 increase by Memorial Day, keeping us under the dreaded $4.00 a gallon mark.

De Haan said post-Memorial Day, prices typically start to slowly fall.