More Americans will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend amid cheaper gas prices

Americans planning a trip by car this Memorial Day weekend should expect to pay gas prices closer to $3.25 a gallon, experts predict.

The national average for a gallon of regular inched up to $3.53 on Monday but is still down nearly $1.50 from its peak of $5.02 last June, according to AAA. Drivers in a handful of western states, including Arizona and California, however, have seen an uptick and are now paying more than $4.60 a gallon. Still, prices will likely drop in the coming weeks, which means "the national average may not end up hitting the $4 per gallon mark — something that will make most motorists very happy," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

"For those in Arizona that have seen gas prices spike during the spring, significant relief is starting and should even accelerate over the weeks ahead," De Haan said in a research note Monday.