DAYTON, Ohio - Those traveling this holiday weekend will find gas prices that are higher than they have been for much of 2009, but far better than over the Fourth of July in 2008.

The average for the Dayton area is currently at $2.59 per gallon for regular unleaded, which is just slightly below the $2.63 per gallon national average. Prices have been slowly rising since early spring after bottoming out in December of 2008, when some stations had prices as low at $1.33 per gallon.

While the price jump is nothing new, it is significantly lower than a year ago. The price on July 3, 2008 for a gallon of regular unleaded was at an average of $4.09, a dollar and a half less than the price this year.