Gas Prices Jump Overnight With Threat of Hurricane Isaac

Uncertainty over the supply of gas, with the potential disruption of refinery operations on the Gulf Coast, led to a jump in gas prices by as much as 15 cents a gallon overnight Monday, according to Mike Right vice president of public affairs of AAA Missouri.

The price per gallon at stations in the Wentzville/Lake Saint Louis area is $3.79 with very little variety from station to station, according to stlouisgasprices.com.

Right doesn't expect the jump in gas prices to last long, probably coming back down by the Labor Day weekend.

"Hopefully that's the end of it," he said. "It (higher gas prices) doesn't look like it will be a long-term thing."

However, Right said much will depend on the severity of Hurricane Isaac and how much or how little damage it does to the oil refineries on the Gulf Coast.

As for Labor Day as a benchmark for a change in gas prices, Right said the price "goes up as often as it goes down."

"What's driving the price right now is the potential disruption of supply," he said.