PUMPED UP: Refinery and pipeline problems have shrunk gasoline supplies and driven up prices on both coasts. In other regions, gas prices have trickled lower after a late-summer surge.
SLICK CULPRIT: Oil prices rose 27 percent from late June through mid-September. In addition to refinery issues, production was affected by Hurricane Isaac. Since mid-September, oil prices have dropped 11 percent.
DOWN THE ROAD: Analysts predict average prices will be $3.50 per gallon or lower by Thanksgiving for most of the country. On the West Coast, the price is expected to be closer to $4 per gallon.