Illinois Gas Prices Expected To Remain High

Illinois gas prices are expected to remain above $4 going into Labor Day weekend and in preparedness of a possible hurricane occurring Tuesday night. 

Officials from AAA have said that Tropical Storm Issac, which is currently ripping across the Gulf of Mexico, will shut down offshore oil refineries, which prices often rise when refineries are closed. 

The National Hurricane Center has predicted that the tropical storm will become a hurricane on Tuesday with 74 to 95 mph winds. It is expected to hit from an area southwest of New Orleans to the edge of Florida's panhandle.

The cheapest unleaded gas available in Arlington Heights is $4.04 per gallon, at the Marathon gas station located at the corner of 115 W. Dundee Road and Arlington Heights Road. 

Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The potential for a landfall as a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Tuesday prompted evacuations along a wide area of the Gulf Coast and sent people out to stock up on staples.

Scott Raynor, local editor for Marion Patch contributed to this report.