U.S. gas prices average $3

Utah gas prices are 18 cents higher than one month ago, but unlike much of the rest of the nation, the average cost for regular unleaded fuel in this state is still below $3 per gallon.

AAA reported Monday that the average cost per gallon of gasoline was $2.97 in Utah. The national average was at $3 per gallon — two cents higher than Sunday's national average of $2.98, according to AAA.

Retail gas prices have been slow to catch up with soaring crude prices, which have gained nearly 39 percent since late August to a trading high of $96.24 on Thursday. Gas prices only started rising steadily in mid-October.

The national average price of a gallon of gas rose 1.5 cents overnight to $3 on Monday and has jumped almost 25 cents in three weeks, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Other Western states had average prices Monday that ranged from $2.87 per gallon in Arizona to $3.25 in California. Utah gas prices decreased by one cent from Sunday to Monday.

Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA of Utah, said gas prices have been lower than expected this fall, given the high cost per barrel of crude oil. She said the reason could be that fewer people are driving and are using alternative modes of transportation to get around.

"Prices really haven't reflected the high price of the barrel right now, and a lot of this is because demand is down," Fairclough said.

On Thursday, crude prices reached a high of $96.24. Light, sweet crude oil for December delivery fell 2 percent to $93.98 per barrel Monday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Amanda Kurzendoerfer, commodities analyst at Summit Energy Services in Louisville, Ky., told the Associated Press that consumers have been "relatively isolated" from from high barrel prices.

But some analysts, including Kurzendoerfer, warn gas prices could increase to as much as $3.50 or $4 per gallon next summer as a result of the high cost of crude.

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Contributing: Associated Press

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com