Gas prices rise 7 cents in past two weeks
Survey predicts higher costs through April
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| GAS PRICES |
Average price of a gallon of self-serve regular in selected cities:
Houston, Texas: $1.52
Charlotte, North Carolina: $1.52
Atlanta, Georgia: $1.56
Tucson, Arizona: $1.59
Manchester, New Hampshire: $1.62
Miami, Florida: $1.66
Portland, Maine: $1.67
Chicago, Illinois: $1.75
Source: Lundberg Survey
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(CNN) -- Gas prices nationwide soared nearly 7 cents per gallon of self-serve regular to $1.62 during the past two weeks, a national survey said Sunday.
The Lundberg Survey had reported an 8-cent rise during the previous three weeks, and consumers can expect the trend to continue, publisher Trilby Lundberg said. "Our mid-range forecast says there's another 16 cents before it's over and prices drift down" in early April, she said.
Lundberg blamed the increase on high demand for crude oil -- the result of a robust economy and cold weather diverting supplies to create home heating oil.
That demand will not fall soon, she predicted. As warmer weather diminishes the need for heating oil, driving will raise the demand for gasoline.
At the same time, U.S. refiners have passed through to consumers additional costs associated with meeting government regulations to reduce sulfur in gasoline and, in some locations, to use ethanol, she said.
The survey of about 7,000 stations nationwide was conducted January 23.
The survey's forecast of continuing price spikes is based on a report posted on its Web site.
Drivers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, paid the least, at $1.45 per gallon, and drivers in Honolulu, Hawaii, paid the most, at $1.99. San Francisco, California, had the second-highest average price, at $1.75.
