Average retail gasoline prices in Kansas have risen 5.0 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.51 per gallon Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,329 gas outlets in Kansas. This compares with the national average that has increased 3.4 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.59.
Including the change in gas prices in Kansas during the past week, prices yesterday were 11.6 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 9.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 9.2 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 7.2 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
In Great Bend and Larned, prices hovered at $3.45. Russell came in at $3.50 and Lyons at $3.55.
The lowest prices in the state were $3.29 at Galena and $3.33 at Topeka. The highest were $3.85 reported at  Oakley and $3.75 at Hiawatha.
“The national average has zoomed higher in the last week, regaining some upward momentum and bringing us to the highest national average so far this year,” said GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. “As we get very near the final shift to summer spec gasoline, we’re seeing prices continue to creep higher in many communities across the country.”
GasBuddy last week released a forecast for what motorists should expect this summer, and to summarize, we expect prices nationally between April and September to average out to $3.52 per gallon, which would be slightly under the same period last year, DeHaan said.
 With the first quarter of the year over, GasBuddy looked at what took place at some 120,000 gas stations across the United States during the first quarter, as well as what is yet to come.
Virginia boasted the largest savings at the pump for January through March versus the same time period in 2013, at 23.7 cents per gallon. Also in the top five are Georgia (23.5 cents per gallon lower), Mississippi (23.5 cents per gallon), South Carolina (23.2 cents per gallon), and Alabama (23.1 cents per gallon). A total of 48 states saw lower gas prices this year than last during the first quarter, with the exceptions being Colorado (8.6 cents per gallon higher), and Wyoming (14 cents per gallon higher).
Montana saw the cheapest average in the first quarter, with gas prices averaging a mere $3.09/gal. Hawaii saw the highest prices, averaging $4.06 per gallon. Unsurprisingly, it was cities in these states that fared the best and worst, respectively. Billings, MT saw gas average $3.06 per gallon while Honolulu saw prices average $3.97. California cities rounded out the rest of the cities where prices were highest during the first quarter.
The price of $3.49/gal was the most common in the U.S. yesterday, with 4,742 stations charging that price, while $3.59/gal was the second most popular price, with 4,522 stations charging that price.
Motorists in California have seen the longest streak of rising prices, at 66 consecutive days, while Washington and Virginia round out the top three at 55 and 54 days respectively.  West Virginia and New York appear in the #4 and #5 positions with 53 and 44 days respectively.
So what’s ahead? According to GasBuddy analysts, the rise in prices will likely persist for several more weeks. “Motorists face rising prices every spring for varying reasons, but most notably because of refinery maintenance that slows production of gasoline and stations being required to sell cleaner burning blends of gasoline that cost them more,” DeHaan said.
“We believe that gas prices nationally will average $3.52 per gallon for the April through September time frame, which would be the lowest we’ve seen in a few years.”
“Hotspots could certainly develop in any state over the next month or so as refiners finish maintenance, so motorists should be prepared for it, but once June rolls around, we will begin to see relief,” said Gregg Laskoski, another senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.