(The Center Square) - The cost of gasoline hit a new record high on Monday as many Americans kicked off the summer season traveling over Memorial Day weekend.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline climbed to $4.62 a gallon Monday, up about a penny from Sunday and $1.58 higher than last Memorial Day, when the average cost was $3.04.
Many observers say the cost has yet to peak and expect only higher prices as summer wears on.
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"The summer driving season is here! With it, the most expensive #gasprices we've ever seen on a Memorial Day: $4.60/gallon, and we'll likely make a run to $4.75/gallon in the next couple weeks barring any major change," GasBuddy's Patrick de Haan tweeted. "Est[imated] odds of reaching a national of $5/gallon this summer: 65 percent."
Earlier in May, the average cost of gas hit a new record high every day for two consecutive weeks.
The average cost of a gallon of diesel fuel was $5.52 Monday. Diesel powers the semis that truckers drive to transport food and other consumer goods across the country, contributing to 40-year-high inflation.
In seven states, all but one out west, the average price of a gallon of gasoline is at least $5 a gallon. Illinois is the non-west outlier, with the average price on Monday at $5 a gallon (rounding up from $4.996).
In California, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline reached $6.15, highest in the U.S.
