A pipeline leak in Alabama continues to push up gas prices across the Southeast.

North Carolina and Georgia are among the hardest hit by the Colonial Pipeline leak of more than 250,000 gallons of gasoline. The pipeline - which stretches from Texas to New York and supplies about 40 percent of the region's gasoline - is currently under repair.

Meanwhile, gas prices are climbing as supplies are dwindling.

Drivers in North Carolina have faced long lines and higher prices in the wake of the pipeline leak. Gov. Pat McCrory has activated the State Emergency Response Team to coordinate fuel needs and is asking state agencies to conserve gas.

Motorists in the state have reported gasoline outages or only premium grades at certain stations.

According to price tracking site GasBuddy, prices in North Carolina are up 15 cents from last week and 5 cents since yesterday for an average gallon price of $2.20.

The situation is similar in Georgia.

Gov. Nathan Deal issued an emergency declaration Monday to crack down on price gauging.

Gas prices in Georgia are up 8 cents in the last 24 hours and 26 cents from last week to an average of $2.40 per gallon. In metro Atlanta, prices are up 34 cents over last week and 10 cents in the last day with the average price topping $2.50 per gallon.

The national average for gasoline is $2.21 per gallon, up 3 cents from last week.

The price of a gallon of gas in Alabama is up 10 cents from last week and 5 cents in the last 24 hours for an average cost of $2.04 a gallon. A gallon of regular gas in Tennessee is now $2.14, an increase of 4 cents from yesterday and 15 cents from last week. Prices in South Carolina are up 7 cents from yesterday and 17 cents from last week for an average of $2.10 per gallon.

How to find the cheapest gas in your area

There are several ways you can track down the stations with cheapest gas.

You can search for the lowest prices in your area at al.com/news/gas.

GasBuddy offers a service, as does Google and Mapquest.

You can also use GasBuddy's heat map to see how prices from around the country.

When will price go down?

Changes in gas prices will be determined by how quickly Colonial can restore the flow.

"Until the pipeline bypass is completed, distribution issues will continue to put additional upward pressure on prices in the Southeast and possibly the Mid-Atlantic region," AAA said. "The Colonial Pipeline has said it anticipates reopening the line later this week with the bypass in use, but it remains unclear how quickly they will be able to repair Line 1.

"Until the pipeline bypass is completed, distribution issues will continue to put additional upward pressure on prices in the Southeast and possibly the Mid-Atlantic region."