(CHARLOTTE) -- It seems prices at gas pumps across North Carolina are heading nowhere but up. Tom Crosby of Triple A Carolinas said it is not your imagination.

"Statewide we're up about 10 cents in the last week.   We're up about 27 cents in the last month and for the year we're paying 50 cents more a gallon than we were last year, on average," said Crosby.

He attributes a lot of the hikes to refineries cutting back on production, increased taxes on  fuel, volatility in the Middle East, and economic uncertainties in Europe.

Right now Crosby won't predict what the cost per gallon may be by Memorial Day when the summer driving season officially gets underway. Some are saying it could be as much as $4.00 by then.

(Thanks to: WSJS)