Goodbye, Cheap Gas: Prices Continuing to Rise

Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

The days of gas prices being lower than $2 are firmly in the US drivers' rear-view mirrors.

The national average price for a gallon of gas is now $2.38 - 10 cents more than a week ago.

And GasBuddy expects those prices to keep climbing - seven cents to 10 cents - during the weekend.

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No state in the country today has pump prices lower than $2.

One state, however, is experiencing the biggest single-day jump in prices ever. That's California.

In Los Angeles, prices were up 20 cents in just 24 hours, according to GasBuddy.

Driving the spike is an ExxonMobil oil refinery fire Feb. 18 in Torrance, California.

California refineries also have been switching over to their spring gasoline blend, which is why the state's drivers see prices start to increase during this time of year.

The spring gasoline blend gets cars better mileage - and reduces pollution - but is more expensive.

The good news: Even with the recent spike, prices are still more than $1 less than they were last year.