How much more will gas prices climb? : Jumped 30 cents in a month; expect 5 more

Drivers may shake off the 30 cent jump in gasoline prices in the past month, but the stigma of $3 a gallon - just 20 cents away - could dampen summer driving, albeit briefly.

Though still shy of the magic $3 figure, gasoline prices could jump another nickel in the next two weeks after a nearly 10 cent upswing in the past seven days. A gallon of regular gasoline averaged $2.79 statewide today, dipping slightly after topping $2.80 earlier in the week.

"We have seen in the past couple of years when the price gets to $3 a gallon it slows (consumption) growth a little," said Douglas MacIntyre, a petroleum analyst for the federal...