Ga. gas prices soar as Isaac comes ashore

UNDATED - Hurricane Isaac is bringing some much needed rain to Georgia, but it's also bringing much higher gas prices, since oil production in the Gulf has been halted while the storm passes over.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Georgia Wednesday morning was $3.86, according to the website GasBuddy.com. That's an increase of 16-cents a gallon from the average price reported Sunday by AAA South.

The website listed prices in the Gainesville area ranging from $3.75 to $3.99 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel. The lowest price in the North Georgia area was at a convenience store in Toccoa, where the price was $3.35 a gallon.

Jim Tudor with the Georgia Association of Convenience Store Operators said drivers tend to blame the people behind the counter when prices rise, but he said it's not the convenience store owners who are at fault.

"They can't get mad at some sheik in Saudi Arabia, so really the only person you have the opportunity to get mad at is the guy you're having the face-to-face conversation with," said Tudor. "They have less control over the price of motor fuel than anybody in the supply chain."