Flickr user bitzcelt

After starting a brutal march up in October of last year, gas prices finally started easing in early May after topping out at a staggering $3.73 a gallon.

Presently, we're all the way down to a "bargain" of $3.25 in the area (still well above last October's $2.50); however, the price has leveled as the cost of crude oil begins to turn back upwards.

And with hurricane season now under way, get in on the driving while it's good, because with the next scare, it may be late summer until we see anything this cheap again.

(In fact, most gas stations in Beaufort and Port Royal have already notched up to the $3.36 range.)

Below is a terror-graph focusing on prices during the last three months, and there are plenty of things you can do to save on gas. And here's a map of Beaufort-area gas prices; there are still a few holdouts charging just $3.51 a gallon.