The upward march of gas prices that you may have recently noticed will continue into early April.

Tom Merton, Getty Images
Tom Merton, Getty Images
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Average pump prices right now are about $3.45 per gallon nationally, and $3.35 a gallon in New Jersey.

"I think nationally, we may get prices up to about $3.60 to $3.70," said Tom Kloza with GasBuddy.com. "I think here in New Jersey, we are going to be lower than that, but we may see the prices get up to between $3.50 to $3.60."

Refinery maintenance that is shutting down some plants during the month of March has been blamed for the current price increases. Kloza said there will also be concern about the impact of hurricane season, which begins again in June, on gulf refineries.

And then there is also the major component of gasoline -- crude oil. Crude prices have been on the upswing of late, with West Texas Intermediate crude up about $5 a barrel this month, according to AAA.

There is some good news: No one watching the price of gasoline expects to see it get up to last year's high of $3.79 per gallon.

 

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