Motorists hitting the roads soon for the July 4 holiday could see higher prices at the pump, even though local gas prices fell over the past week.

Modesto gas prices fell 9.2 cents per gallon, averaging $3.65/gallon as of June 24, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 201 stations. Gas prices in Modesto are 26.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, yet stand 12.7 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Modesto is priced at $3.35/gallon while the most expensive is $3.99, a difference of 64.0 cents per gallon. The lowest price in the state on June 24 was $2.79 while the highest was $5.86, a difference of $3.07/gallon. The cheapest price in the entire country found on June 24 stands at $1.92/gallon while the most expensive is $5.86, a difference of $3.94/gallon.

California is one of the states that will raise gasoline taxes on July 1, likely pushing prices up for motorists heading to the pumps just before heading out of town for the long July 4 holiday weekend.

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices include: Stockton - $3.56/gallon, down 11.3 cents from last week’s $3.68; Oakland - $3.81, down 4.1 cents from $3.85; and San Jose - $3.77, down 5.3 cents from last week’s $3.82/gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 2.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.65; the national average is down 19.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 18.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

“A large refinery explosion in Philadelphia last week may ultimately serve to push gasoline prices higher once we learn more details about how long that facility may be offline,” noted Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

For LIVE fuel price averages, visit http://FuelInsights.GasBuddy.com.