Alaska first state to hit $4 a gallon gasoline: AAA

By Bernard Woodall

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Alaska hit a milestone on Wednesday that could be a sign of things to come around the United States this summer -- it became the first state where the average price for regular gasoline reached $4 per gallon.

"It wasn't totally unexpected," said Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for the travel and auto group AAA which issues a daily gasoline price report.

"Oil prices recently brushed against $127 per barrel so certainly, $4 gasoline could be in the cards for other states as well this summer," said Sundstrom.

At $4 per gallon, filling up a 15-gallon tank will cost $60.

Alaskans using self-service regular gasoline paid $4.006 per gallon, said the AAA Wednesday report.

The U.S. average for regular gasoline hit a record $3.758 per gallon, the same report showed.

A year ago, the U.S. average price was $3.3354 a gallon and in Alaska, the average price was $2.946 a gallon.

Gasoline price analysts will have a better handle on how many states are likely to reach $4 a gallon this summer once the Memorial Day weekend passes, said Sundstrom. That holiday weekend is May 23-26.