Loosen up your wallet for record-breaking gas prices in Metro Vancouver

If you think you’re paying a lot at the pump now, just wait — it’s about to get worse.

Gas prices have been hovering around $1.50 per litre since the end of February, and an industry expert doesn’t think relief is anywhere in sight with the summer months approaching.

“$1.60 is really a no-brainer. It’s likely to happen sometime between roughly April 15 and Sept. 15, at which point we go back to winter blends of gasoline, which is cheaper for refineries to make,” GasBuddy.com’s Dan McTeague said.

WATCH: Gas prices could hit $1.54 a litre by the weekend in Metro Vancouver

GasBuddy’s recorded high for a fill-up was set back on June 22, 2014.

“We clocked it at the highest ever seen when oil was at $100-some-odd per barrel. We clocked out at $1.55.7 and that’s likely to be broken very quickly over the next week.”

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According to the website on Sunday afternoon, the average price of regular gas in Vancouver was $1.52.7 cents per litre.

The petroleum analyst predicted averages between $1.46 and $1.52 at the start of the year.

On top of it all, the carbon tax is going to be pushed to $35 a tonne in April and more expensive summer blends of gasoline will come in shortly after.

McTeague says these will bump prices five cents per litre.

READ MORE: B.C. government won’t delay carbon tax hikes in face of sky-high gas prices

And the crushing blow — the maintenance work on Olympic Pipeline between Portland, Oregon and Blaine, Washington.

“That causes a bit of a bump in prices — good enough for a three-cent per litre increase, which of course we’re paying now. For stations that aren’t charging that $1.54.9 Sunday, they will in fact follow by Monday morning. So if you can still see it for under $1.50, don’t hesitate,” he said.

According to the website, prices have jumped 22 cents per litre compared to this time last year.

READ MORE: Metro Vancouver gas prices are on the rise again

McTeague calculates that as the average driver spending an extra $600-700 annually to fill up.

-With files from Michelle Morton and Richard Zussman