Gas prices in Southwest Ohio rose again Friday, continuing their march toward $4 per gallon.

At least a dozen stations throughout the area increased the price of regular-grade gas to $3.85 a gallon, up 20 cents or more from earlier in the day.

One station was charging $3.89 a gallon, according to DaytonGasPrices.com, a website that uses spotters to track area gas prices. Other stations were charging as little as $3.39 a gallon.

The spike rose the average price in the Dayton area to $3.78 a gallon 6:30 p.m., up 7 cents from Thursday and 61 cents from a month ago, according to the website.

Similar prices could be found in the Springfield and Butler County.

The high in Springfield was $3.89 and most of the stations were charging more than $3.80.

Prices were lower in the Hamilton area, with 10 stations charging $3.85 and 15 selling gas at $3.75 or less. It was the same in the Middletown area, with 11 stations charging $3.85 and 10 were at $3.75 or less.

The government on Tuesday boosted its forecast for gasoline prices this year by 11 cents to an average of $3.55 a gallon. That would be the second-highest annual average ever, behind last year’s $3.63 a gallon.

In its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA primarily pins the increase on higher oil prices. Brent crude, the benchmark for many international varieties of oil imported to the U.S., rose from $109 a barrel in mid-December to about $119 in early February. That $10 increase equates to about 24 cents per gallon of gas, the EIA says. U.S. benchmark crude rose $8 a barrel, to nearly $96 in the same time frame.

According to analysts at GasBuddy.com, which produces the GasPrices.com websites, said Friday: “It’s getting just plain ugly out there, folks.”

The GasBuddy blog says “Chicago and NYC are the next major U.S. cities poised to breach the ugly $4/gal barrier, and likely won’t be the last, either.”

The average in New York City is $3.99 per gallon, and in Chicago it’s $3.92. The price is expected to tip over $4 per gallon in the next day or two, the blog said.

The reason is not obvious, analysts said, by refinery maintenance season is likely paying a role.

“On the flip side, gasoline inventories remain near their year ago levels and oil inventories continue to be extremely healthy, standing 10 percent higher than a year ago,” the blog said.