COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN) --- Central Ohio drivers noticed a big jump in the cost of filling up during the past week.
According to ColumbusGasPrices.com, average retail gasoline prices in Columbus have risen 14 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.24 a gallon Monday morning.
Ohio's average, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, is $2.23, 10 cents more than a week ago.
Those prices are still lower than the national average of $2.31, reported by AAA.
The auto club says gas prices mostly held steady during February but are expected to increase this month as demand rises and refiners start switching from winter-blend to summer-blend gasoline.
And, in what may be a sign of things to come, Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, says motorists in Southern California have become the first in the lower 48 states to see the ugly "3" showing up on gas station displays.
(The Associated Press and NBC NewsRadio contributed to this story.)