Gas prices expected to spike in southern California next week

KTLA -- Motorists in Southern California should be prepared to pay higher prices at the pump, as the cost of gasoline is expected to spike dramatically next week.

Prices are likely to jump 15 to 30 cents per gallon or more by next week, gasbuddy.com reported Wednesday.

By Friday morning, prices at the pump were already on the rise at several stations around Southern California.

A decline of more than one million barrels in gasoline inventory on the West Coast was just one of the reasons for the surge in prices, according to gasbuddy.com.

Also, fuel imports into the region have dropped to zero for the first time since March, according to the website, which cited a report from the Energy Information Administration.

The average price of a gallon on gas nationally however is still cheaper than it was at this time last year, according to AAA.

Here's a look at Friday's average gas prices per gallon around the region.

Los Angeles-Long Beach $3.656
Orange County $3.625
Riverside-San Bernardino $3.558

Gas price information was taken from AAA.com.