It’s a question nearly everyone has been asking: How much higher will gas prices go? And perhaps more importantly, when will they come down?

All summer, gas prices have gone up and down on a roller coaster-like path — dictated by events in the Middle East, Hurricane Isaac shutting down refineries and an Aug. 25 explosion at a refinery in Venezuela that is part of OPEC and one of the biggest suppliers of fuel to the United States, said Venice AAA district travel manager Rosenda Calloway. She added that refinery is just getting back to processing crude oil, but is not yet producing petroleum.