Gas Prices Sign At Shell Station — Gas prices at the Shell station across from The Summit mall in Birmingham. (Pat Byington / Bama Buzz)

As the price for a gallon of gas continues to rise, Alabama’s average trails close behind the nation’s. Between Thursday, March 5, and Wednesday, March 11, the average price for a gallon of regular gas rose by 27 cents.

The increase comes as spring break arrives, meaning travelers will see an increase at the gas pump on the way to the beach.

As of March 11, the Alabama average is $3.212 per gallon. That’s a 9% increase from March 5’s price of $2.94. The national average on March 11 is $3.578.

This week’s increase comes after another increase of nearly 27 cents the week before last.

Average prices across Alabama

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Here are some of the average prices by metro, ranked from most to least expensive for a regular gallon of gas:

Mobile: $3.32 regular / $4.18 premium
Dothan: $3.27 regular / $4.02 premium
Montgomery: $3.25 regular / $4.08 premium
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley: $3.25 regular / $4.08 premium
Gadsden: $3.24 regular / $4.07 premium
Florence-Muscle Shoals: $3.22 regular / $4.03 premium
Birmingham: $3.21 regular / $4.08 premium
Anniston-Oxford: $3.21 regular / $4.07 premium
Decatur: $3.19 regular / $4.03 premium
Auburn: $3.19 regular / $4.03 premium
Tuscaloosa: $3.18 regular / $4.03 premium
Huntsville: $3.18 regular / $3.99 premium
Russell County: $3.16 regular / $4.04 premium

Similar to last week, prices around the coast are generally higher than in North Alabama.

You can see a full map for average gas prices across Alabama on the AAA website.

Hitting the road for spring break? Here’s what you should know

Make sure your wallet is prepared before you hit the road! (Alabama’s Beaches)

As the spring nears, we know more and more travelers will be on the road. And it seems likely that gas prices will continue to rise.

AAA says springtime typically sees higher gas prices as gasoline demand rises and summer-blend gasoline production begins.

GasBuddy can give you an estimate on the gas cost of any trip based on local gas prices along the route and how many times you’d be expected to fill up.

Here are some estimated costs for roundtrips from around Alabama to Gulf Shores, based on average miles per gallon for city (18 MPG) and highway (25 MPG) in addition to tank size (14 gallons):