Gas prices continue to go in the wrong direction.

Atlantans were paying an average of $3.79 a gallon for gasoline early Monday, an increase of nearly a dime since a week ago and 67 cents more than the mid-December price.

The current national average price is $3.78, and the national average for the month of $3.63 is the highest ever for the month of February, according to AAA.

The average has surpassed $4 a gallon in four states, “and a couple others are only a few cents shy of reaching the $4 mark,” said Jessica Brady, a spokeswoman for AAA.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there will be much relief at the pump in the next couple of weeks,” Brady said. “U.S. refinery maintenance typically peaks in March, meaning we could see more cuts in refinery output, leading to higher gas prices.”

A website that tracks local prices, atlantagasprices.com, reported early Monday that metro prices ranged from $3.60 at a Marathon station at Trickum and Shallowford roads in Cobb County to $4.19 at a Chevron on Cobb Parkway.

Statewide, the cheapest gas was $3.53 at a couple of Augusta-area stations and $3.56 in the Macon area.