The average gallon of self-serve regular in the Los Angeles area rose just six-tenths of a cent to $2.772 for the week ended Aug. 29, a slowdown after weeks of price increases that saw gas rise 3 cents a week earlier.

The small rise brings prices 65.4 cents higher than they were a year ago and up from the previous week’s $2.766, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Statewide, prices gained 2 cents to $2.770 from $2.750 over the week, 67 cents higher than year-ago rates.

California still had the highest gas prices in the nation, and San Francisco was the priciest city, rising 2.2 cents to $2.808.

Texas was the lowest-priced state of the areas surveyed, at $2.530 per gallon, and the city with cheapest gas was Houston, which lost 3.3 cents to $2.532 per gallon.

However, widespread fears emerged Monday that prices will shoot up even higher resulting from damage to drilling platforms, refineries and other infrastructure in the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Katrina.