Agencies that track gas prices showed the price rising in the past week both nationally and in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
AAA said there was a 5-cent-a-gallon increase in the past week for regular gas nationally, up to $3.68.
In New Hampshire, AAA reported the price at $3.71 yesterday, up 4 cents from a week ago. In Massachusetts, AAA had the price of gas at $3.77, up 5 cents from last week.
AAA said the prices are back where they were a month ago in New Hampshire. They are $1.05 cents higher than a year ago, up from $2.66. Prices are up 3 cents from a month ago in Massachusetts, up $1.07 from last year.
The prices are still below the record highs of $4.04 for New Hampshire and $4.09 for Massachusetts, set three years ago this month, AAA reported.
Drivers in Hawaii, Alaska and Connecticut are now paying more than $4 per gallon.
AAA, in an analysis of gas prices on Monday, said crude oil prices were being affected "by debt concerns and continued gridlock in Washington surrounding talks to raise the U.S. debt limit."
GasBuddy.com also had the average at $3.71 a gallon yesterday in New Hampshire. Among the highest prices recorded by GasBuddy in New Hampshire in the last 24 hours was a station in Pelham, which was selling regular at $3.83 per gallon.
Senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy projected New Hampshire gas prices between $3.60 and $3.90 for Labor Day.
"Not a whole lot of improvement," DeHaan said.
Massachusetts is expected to see Labor Day prices between $3.65 and $3.85.
Prices in both states are expected to come down in the autumn, with October-November pricing around $3.40 to $3.75 a gallon in New Hampshire and $3.50 to $3.80 in Massachusetts, DeHaan said.
A serious hurricane that disrupts oil production or how the debt politics in Washington affect the value of the dollar are the factors most likely to skew the pricing forecast, DeHaan said.
