AAA forecasts gas increase above $3.00 a gallon by summer

We're less than a 100 days to Memorial Day. If you're going to be heading down the shore get ready to dig deep into those pockets for gas money. Prices are about to spike.

"That'll definitely be tight," said Melissa Epstein as she fast forwarded in her mind to how gas prices will soon hit her hard in the pocket. We told her about the increase predicted just in time for spring and summer travel while she had her tank filled up at a Wawa in Woodbury this evening.

"Between commute, then taking my kids places and activities it'll definitely add up," she said.

AAA is forecasting a 25 to 35 cents a gallon increase in gas prices between now and the beginning of spring extending through your summer travel season. That could mean an increase above $3.00 a gallon.

"This sounds super terrible. Right now it costs me like $60 to fill up like right now so now it sounds like $75 to $80," said Lee Hayes. He says his summer plans look to be in limbo hearing this news.

"100% just because right now I do go to school over in Philly and I drive over. Now I definitely might think of taking the Patco instead with gas and bridge toll it's going to be really expensive," he said.

Jana Tidwell with AAA says the increase can be attributed to Hurricane Harvey last August which shut down refineries in the Gulf preventing them from doing routine maintenance.

"The local refineries stayed open and kept production up so that we wouldn't see as much pain at the pump locally but those refineries now need to close to do spring maintenance that was postponed from fall."

Trish Dobbins says there's not much she can do because going to work isn't an option.

"It sucks when it's that expensive but it's really a no brainer. You have to fill it up." But she says doing away with a summer get-away isn't an option either.

"I'm still going to take a vacation but maybe not as far," said Dobbins.

The last time we saw gas prices at or above $3.00 a gallon was October and November of 2014.