The hike in gas prices today is going to get worse.

Prices across the Okanagan Valley averaged around 119.9/litre, but it鈥檚 expected to exceed the 125.9/litre very quickly .

鈥淚f you see gas at 119 now, I would jump on it because it鈥檚 going to go up further today possibly and very likely tomorrow,鈥� said Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com.

鈥淓veryone needs to fasten their seat belts as it鈥檚 going to be a rough ride at the gas pumps for awhile.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a downward trend in gas prices for at least the next two weeks.鈥�

McTeague said there are several factors causing the gas price bump鈥攖he weak Canadian dollar, a major pipeline that delivers gas from Gulf Coast refineries to the US mid-west currently shut down for maintenance, reduction in the glut of oil on the world market and a booming American economy.

鈥淭he American economy is on fire right now. People are working, wages are up and the demand for fuel has shot up,鈥� he said.

鈥淢ost of the fuel delivered to the B.C. Interior comes from Edmonton and Edmonton fuel pricing is based on U.S. mid-west gas price futures set in Chicago. And the pipeline disruption is very sensitive to US mid-west pricing, so that鈥檚 a key factor behind what鈥檚 going on right now.

鈥淲e could see a 12 to 13 cent a litre increase in the B.C. Interior before things cool off.鈥�

From a global perspective, McTeague says renewable energy source development is important, but the world appetite for fossil fuels continues to expand.

鈥淭he developed world economies are looking for ways to cutback on oil consumption, but the for the developing world countries, which is 90 per cent of the global economy, oil consumption continues to increase,鈥� he said.