Analysts expect higher prices for gas

Gasoline prices are on the rise for the second year in a row, and drivers will be paying more at the pump than they have in four years.

The national average for a gallon of regular self-serve gas is expected to average $2.57 in 2018. That would be 18 cents more than 2017’s average and the highest yearly average since 2014, according to a GasBuddy fuel price outlook.

Average gas prices in Florida are usually “very similar to the national average or slightly higher,” according to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

Gas prices in Florida “likely will spend most of the year in the mid and upper $2/gal range,” DeHaan wrote in an email.

The lowest prices will be in the winter and again in fall, he said. Prices will rise sharply from winter to spring due to seasonal changes.

Miami, Orlando and Tampa are among the U.S. cities with this year’s highest daily average gas prices, which range from $2.65 to $2.95 a gallon.

January and February are expected to be the cheapest months of the year for gas prices, with the average prices forecast to reach $2.41 and $2.42, respectively.

May is expected to be the most expensive month, with the average price forecast at $2.73 per gallon.

The average American household will spend $1,898 on gas this year, compared with $1,765 in 2016 and $1,566 in 2015, according to the price outlook.

The increase in prices can be attributed to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ November 2016 deal to cut oil production. The deal curbed excess oil supply and increased prices.

Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA — The Auto Club Group in Florida, said gas price increases likely won’t be deterrents to drivers unless prices reach $3 a gallon or more.