Gas prices are expected to hit a seasonal high during Labor Day weekend.

Regional AAA Manager Ed Welsh says this will be the most expensive Labor Day weekend, in the last four years, for gas prices.

This year, gas is 48 cents higher than it was last Labor Day weekend.

Welsh says that in the summer, gas prices typically rise because the oil blend is more expensive to make than it is in the winter.

He also has tips for anyone with travel plans for the holiday weekend.

“The economy is doing so well that people have not given up their travel plans,” Welsh said. “Maybe plan a different route. Take a less traveled road. This is a beautiful part of the country here in central New York, as you travel out, and maybe you discover the undiscovered country in your own back yard along the way.”

Throughout the Mohawk Valley, gas prices are nearly three dollars a gallon. The average gas price in Herkimer County is $2.98 per gallon. The average price of gas in Otsego County is $2.97. In Oneida County it is $2.93, and Madison County at $2.91.

Welsh says the spike in gas prices should be temporary. As we head into the fall season, gas prices should drop nearly 25-cent per gallon.