After steady declines for most of the year, gas prices stopped falling and started rising in July.
The average price of a gallon of unleaded in the Wichita area is $3.42 a gallon. That's up from $3.30 just a few weeks ago.
A report by AAA finds gas prices increased at the largest rate for July in more than a dozen years. AAA predicts prices in August to remain flat, but that could change if hurricanes or unrest in the Middle East disrupts supplies and refining capabilities.
The report shows the national average jumped 5.1 percent or 17 cents a gallon during July. This was the first monthly increase since March and the largest increase for the month of July going back to 2000, when AAA began keeping records.
The report is AAA's first ever end-of-month report on retail gasoline prices and futures.
