Gasoline prices continued their relentless upward march Friday in Washington state, hitting a new record of $4.27 for a gallon of regular unleaded.

In the Seattle metro area, the average price hit $4.32 per gallon - up 2 cents from Thursday.

As recently as August 2007, the average price for regular unleaded was $2.87 in Washington state. Since then, the cost of gas has risen relentlessly, except for a lull during the winter months.

The most expensive area for gas in Washington state is Bellingham, where the average price hit $4.36 on Friday - up 4 cents from the day before. Gas is cheapest in Spokane, where the average price is $4.03.

The price of diesel remained high, too, at $4.91 per gallon in Washington state - but that's still slightly below its peak price in late May.

The national average price of gas was $4.07 for regular unleaded gas and $4.80 for diesel.