A gallon of Gas Shot up by Nearly 40 Cents at Even the Cheapest Local Gas Stations This Week

Fuel prices in the Long Beach-Los Angeles area are near the highest in the U.S. as Libya's internal battle for control of its oil fields continues, pushing oil prices to $103 a barrel. The cheapest gallon of gas that Patch is seeing at stations in the vicinity of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos is a whopping 30-40 cents higher than last week

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in Orange County is $3.805 per gallon, just a fraction less than the highest national average -- Hawaii's $3.816; that's according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch.

It puts the Orange County average at 20.9 cents more than a week ago, roughly 45 cents over last month's cost and 81 cents higher than a year ago

Prices for a gallon of regular elsewhere in the state: Los Angeles County, $3.821; the Inland Empire, $3.796; San Diego, $3.835; and the Central Coast, $3.839.

According to MapQuest, the lowest price for gas in the U.S. is $3.45 and the highest is $4.31.

The stations currently selling the cheapest gas in the Seal Beach and Los Alamitos areas are listed below. Local prices are according to AOL.autos.com and GasBuddy.com and reflect prices reported within the last 24 hours.

ARCO at 490 Pacific Coast Hwy & 5th St

• Regular—$3.89
• Premium—$4.09

Mobil at 12240 Seal Beach Blvd & Plymouth Dr

• Regular—$3.89
• Premium—$4.09

ARCO at 11171 Los Alamitos Blvd & Hedwig Rd

• Regular—$3.79
• Premium—$3.99

Mobil at 3971 Cerritos Ave & Bloomfield St

• Regular—$3.89
• Premium—$4.13

Go to http://autos.aol.com/cheap-gas-prices/ for more prices in the region. If you are planning a trip this weekend, go to http://www.gasbuddy.com/Trip_Calculator.aspx and plug in your travel plans to find out how much it will cost you.