Gas Prices Expected to Jump

Southern California will be switching over to the state’s summer gasoline mixture next week with an attendant 20-35 cent-per-gallon rise in price, according to GasBuddy.com, a price-tracking website. Lower prices prevail in some areas as retailers try to rid themselves of the less-expensive winter blend in early efforts ahead of the April 1 deadline for the switchover. California’s environmental rules dictate a formula that evaporates less during warmer months.

Northern California is expected to follow SoCal’s lead next month, GasBuddy.com indicates, with the rest of the country complying with the EPA’s deadline of May 1.