Normally this time of year, gas prices start heading down, usually bottoming out around Groundhog Day. But not this year.
Unfortunately, they're headed in the opposite direction.
"I'm surprised it went up so fast. I remember the last couple weeks it was like $3.27," Robert Thomas of Southwest Philadelphia said.
Today, Thomas is paying $3.59 for a gallon of unleaded regular.
The one week jump has been dramatic.
The national average is $3.37, up 9-cents from a week ago.
The price in Pennsylvania is $3.46, up 11-cents.
In New Jersey, it's $3.26, up 11-cents.
And in Delaware, it's $3.40, up 14-cents in a week.
Blame it on Iran.
Facing tough sanctions from the West, Iran has threatened to choke off a fifth of the world's oil supply by blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
"The situation in the Middle East has been volatile and because of that the prices have gone up more than otherwise we would have expected," Jenny Robinson of AAA Mid-Atlantic said.
Speculators have driven up the price of oil.
And, almost instantly, the price at the pump has jumped, leaving consumers scrambling to adjust.
"It'll be tough. Cut back in other areas, I guess," Lisa Spera of Northern Liberties said.
And the high prices now don't bode well for the spring when demand drives prices even higher.
"As we look into the spring now, my advice is start saving because you are going to need that money at the gas pump," Robinson said.
Already, drivers are squeezing every last drop they can get.
If the current trend continues you may see more people parking their cars and taking public transit or trading the pump for the plug.
