Retail gasoline prices are up 11.9 cents from a year ago at this time. Prices have risen 54.2 cents over the past nine weeks.
The pump price rose most notably in the Gulf Coast region, where average prices climbed 12.3 cents from the prior week to $2.565 a gallon. In Houston, drivers were paying an average of $2.557 a gallon, up from $2.425 last week.
However, drivers on the West Coast paid the highest average price, $3.096 a gallon, up from $3.016 a week earlier.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, gasoline for May delivery fell 1.52 cents Monday to settle at $2.0428 a gallon.
Gasoline's retail price has followed the futures market sharply higher. A decline in U.S. gasoline inventories ahead of the summer driving season has triggered the jump.
Oil prices reached a six-month high last week as tensions between Iran and the West sparked supply concerns. A barrel of crude oil for May delivery rose 7 cents Monday to settle at $65.94 a barrel in New York. Heating oil futures for May delivery fell 1.44 cent to settle at $1.8625 a gallon, and natural gas prices fell 5.9 cents to settle at $7.671 per million British thermal units.
Brent crude in London added 64 cents to settle at $68.74.
