Gas increase predicted for next week

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Michigan motorists could see a significant jump in the price of gas over the next week, maybe as high as 30 cents per gallon. Gasbuddy.com Analyst Patrick DeHaan says refineries are shutting down for maintenance or unplanned repairs. And that will affect supply which will lead to price increases beginning as early as today and into next week. He says a dozen refineries in the region are undergoing work, including facilities in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Midwest refiners used just 87 percent of their capacity in the most recent week, down over 10 percent from early September. Adding insult to injury is this week's gain in crude oil prices. DeHaan expects the higher prices to stick around for a few weeks, although they will remain far below the recent summer peak price. And once the refinery work is done, prices are expected to fall, possibly below $2 per gallon in some parts of the state, as Thanksgiving approaches.