The average price of regular gas in metro Atlanta rose 2 cents to $3.03 in the past week, mirroring the national trend. And the price is up 10 cents over the past month. But an expert predicts prices will stay "fairly stable" this week. "While investors flirted with oil prices above $95 a barrel, they have been unable to sustain a price higher than $92 during the month of January," AAA spokeswoman Jessica Brady said. "This is not too surprising since demand typically slows this time of year as consumers travel less. Retail gas prices showed minor increases last week of no more than 2 cents a gallon and are expected to remain fairly stable again this week." The U.S. average of $3.11 is the highest since the financial meltdown of October 2008, according to the Lundberg Survey of American gas stations. Survey publisher Trilby Lundberg told CNN that with plenty of refined fuel on hand now, "gasoline won't be jumping up further on its own. "Right now, it seems reasonable to expect only small changes in crude and gasoline prices," she said. In comparison, the average price in Atlanta is higher than Houston ($2.92) and Phoenix ($2.98) but lower than Boston ($3.18) and Cleveland ($3.12).

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