Area gas prices continue to climb

The average price of gasoline in the Dayton-Springfield area has risen more than 50 cents a gallon in the past month and shows little sign topping out soon.

Area drivers paid an average $3.64 a gallon for a regular-grade gas, according to DaytonGasPrices.com, a website that uses spotters to track local gas prices. That compares with a national average of $3.51 on Wednesday and an area average of $3.10 a gallon a month ago.

Stations monitored by DaytonGasPrices were charging between $3.34 and $3.69 a gallon late Wednesday morning.

AAA said last week gas prices are expected to rise steadily as many refineries temporarily close for scheduled turnaround maintenance and as the industry begins the complicated process of switching over to summer blends of gasoline.

The rest of the country doesn’t move to the summer standards until late February or March, while the Midwest will see an earlier move to low vapor pressure gasoline this year when compared with last year, AAA said.

An explosion and fire at a Toledo refinery last week also could create short-term shortages, AAA said.