Isaac Drives Gas Prices Higher for Holiday Weekend

Isaac Drives Gas Prices Higher for Holiday

Hurricane Isaac continued to push gas prices higher Thursday after the storm forced a shutdown of refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast, NBC News reported.

The price spike is expected to last through the Labor Day weekend. Nationally, prices climbed two cents a gallon to $3.82, a record for this time of year, according to the American Automobile Association.

The increases come on top of a five-cent jump Wednesday, a day after Isaac slammed into Louisiana and stopped 93 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. The price has been on the rise since July 2 when a national average was $3.33, thanks to oil sanctions against Iran and a refinery explosion in Venezuela.

But relief might be in sight as oil and gas companies gradually restart their Gulf operations. Isaac has spared many of the region's refineries and oil rigs that were hard-hit by Katrina in 2005, which disrupted production for months.

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