Prices across the state continued their upward march this week with all factors indicating a $3 per gallon average in the Southland could be reached within a couple of weeks, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. Gasoline prices in a handful of areas, including Santa Barbara, have already topped $3 per gallon.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.914, which is 7.2 cents higher than last week, 31 cents higher than last month and 29 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.918 -- 8.7 cents above last week's price, 31 cents above last month and 30 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.006, up 8.2 cents from last week, 30 cents above than last month and 28 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.938, up 5.3 cents from last week, 32 cents above last month and 29 cents higher than last year.