The AAA national average gas price jumped 7.3 cents to $3.210 last week. This is up 6.7 cents from a month ago but down -25.1 cents from a year ago.

• The largest refinery in the Midwest shut down operations for several days following a severe thunderstorm. As a result, states in the Great Lakes region saw an increase in gas prices, but they may get some relief soon now that the refinery is back online. Overall, summer gas prices have remained steady and should trend downward as the fall season begins. But the incident in Whiting underscores the futility of predicting gas prices. Mother Nature and geopolitical events can suddenly and unexpectedly impact fuel prices.