AAA: Spring Gas Prices to Peak Around $3.80 a Gallon

Motorists should see gas prices decline slightly through January, yet crank up in the spring as demand grows and refineries switch to summer fuel blends, according to AAA.

While the forecast from AAA has prices hitting around $3.80 a gallon, the spring peak shouldnt exceed the 2012 mark of $3.94 a gallon reached last April.

The 2013 spring peak is due in part because demand for oil is at its lowest level in 16 years, while refinery output is, according to the American Petroleum Institute, the most in 150 years.

Heading into the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, the average gas price in Florida stood at $3.42, down 2 cents from a week earlier.

The state mark is up from $3.26 a gallon a month ago, but down 5 cents from a year ago.

Demand for gasoline remains low and will likely decrease in the coming weeks as winter progresses, flu season worsens, and the tax increase hits worker paychecks, Jessica Brady, AAA spokeswoman of The Auto Club Group, stated in a release.