$4 Gasoline Invades New York

Drivers hoping for some relief at the pump will probably be shocked to hear that $4-a-gallon gasoline has already arrived in New York State.

Oliver Quillia / CNBC.com Citgo Gas Station at the Palisades Parkway Service Area in Tappan, NY on April 23, 2008

The Citgo at the Palisades Parkway Service Area in Tappan, NY recently raised its price from $3.99-a-gallon to a jaw dropping $4.03 as drivers choose whether to fill up or wait until they cross the border into New Jersey (where gas tends to be significantly less expensive).

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in New York State has risen to a whopping $3.586 as of April 21, up 13.5 cents in just one week.  Over the past year, the average price has risen 58.9 cents per gallon, almost a 20% increase.

Is there any relief in sight?  With stations switching over to their summer blends of gas in the spring, a recent pattern of price upswings around this time of year has emerged that may sustain through the summer months before starting to decline again in the fall.

Can those rebate checks from the federal government get here any sooner?  Some of us might need it to fill up our tanks.

© 2008 CNBC.com