As of Tuesday, AAA reported gas prices in Minnesota had jumped 19 cents per gallon over the past seven days -- 18 cents higher than the national average. Experts say the culprit is Chicago. The Pioneer Press reports the metropolis is fueled by a number of Midwest refineries, but three of those refineries have been completely or partially off-line for maintenance.

If you're planning a road trip when the weather warms up, be ready to dig deep into your wallet. Experts think gas prices may rise 65 cents a gallon here by the end of the spring. Some other states may even hit $5 a gallon.

Experts predict the cost of a gallon of fuel in the Twin Cities will continue to rise over the next few weeks. The average price of gas in the metro jumped more than 10 cents in the past week -- averaging $3.55 per gallon. That's higher than the national average.

The average price for a gallon fell 13.6 cents to $3.49 over the weekend. It's good news, of course, but experts warn that the market is still very sensitive to global politics.

And gas prices across the country are at their lowest level since February, according to a senior petroleum analyst. But the good news isn't really that great. The same analyst points out average prices have never been this high on Christmas before.

Gas prices have come down an average of 18 cents from a week ago, and about 33 cents from one month ago, according to twincitiesgasprices.com. The cheapest gas is in Bloomington (more than a dozen stations had gas in the $3.23-3.29 range.) The three most expensive stations were in South St. Paul ($3.99), North St. Paul ($3.98) and Minneapolis ($3.74).