Oregonians can expect to pay more at the pump starting next month, and prices are expected to continue rising this spring to the highest levels in several years.

The average price for a gallon of gas will likely hit, then eclipse, $3 per gallon across the state starting in April, marking the first time since 2015 prices surged above that threshold.

Some areas of the state, including Portland, are already seeing average gas prices at or above $3 per gallon, but AAA of Oregon/Idaho officials say the trend will pick up as demand for gasoline increases.

Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho, said in a statement that gas supplies dropped as demand picked up. U.S. production and exports also jumped this week, helping to fuel an uptick in demand.

That dynamic will cause gas prices to jump to levels more common for summer months, she said.

"It appears certain that the Oregon average will rise above $3 very soon," she said in a statement. The national average this week is $2.56 per gallon this week.

Oregon and other West Coast states typically are well represented in the list of most expensive gas prices in the nation, and that's no different this week.

Oregon is ranked fifth, with an average price of $2.98 per gallon, just below Washington.

Hawaii has the most expensive gasoline, with prices hitting an average of $3.51 per gallon.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen