Gas may be cheap this summer, but prices are headed up

Get the Full StoryJoe Raedle Getty ImagesAt a national average of just 2.28 a gallon, today’s gas prices are far lower right now than is typical for the height of summer.

Prices have been below their historic averages for weeks, hitting a low of 2.23 in June, with nearly six in 10 gas stations in the US currently selling gas for 2.25 a gallon or less.

Gas prices remain the highest on the West Coast, with drivers in Hawaii paying the most 3.05 to fill up their tanks. Drivers in California have the second-highest price per gallon 2.91 , followed by Washington 2.81 and Alaska 2.78 .

The cheapest gas is mostly in the South, with drivers in South Carolina paying an average of 1.98 a gallon. While prices in Missouri remain relatively low 2.07 , they saw the biggest weekly increase, with prices going up by a nickel on average.

However, the honeymoon for drivers may be over soon. A new forecast from AAA indicates that gap prices could go higher than 2.32 on average by next week, and continue increasing through Labor Day.

The projected higher prices reflect potentially record-setting demand through the end of the summer. The result could be prices that top 2.42 a gallon, the high for 2017 so far.

AAA forecasts that prices will moderate once summer’s over, with average prices for the second half of the year below 2.25. In the first half of the year, prices averaged 2.32 per gallon.NOW WATCH: Here's how LeBron James reacted when he learned Kevin Durant was joining the Warriors

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