The price of oil pared its gains Wednesday after the government reported a massive increase in crude supplies, but lingering concerns about Tropical Storm Fay kept prices higher for the day.

The Energy Information Administration, an arm of the U.S. Energy Department, said the nation's crude inventories rose by a hefty 9.4 million barrels in the week ended Aug. 15. That figure was much higher than the average analyst forecast for a 1.7 million-barrel increase, according to energy information provider Platts.

However, the EIA also reported that gasoline inventories shrank by 6.2 million barrels during the week _ a larger decline than the 3 million-barrel drop analysts expected. And distillate inventories _ which include heating oil and diesel fuel _ rose by 0.5 million barrels, less than the 1.2 million barrels anticipated.

With gasoline supply levels down and traders still nervous about a possible change in the trajectory of Tropical Storm Fay, which hugged the Florida coast Wednesday morning, oil prices traded modestly higher.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery rose 24 cents to $114.77 a barrel in late morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after rising above $116 a barrel in earlier trading. The September contract expires on Wednesday.

Fay has not approached oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, but some computer models predict that Fay could bounce back toward the Gulf, according to a note from Addison Armstrong, an analyst at Tradition Energy.

A fire at a major Petro-Canada oil storage facility in Libya also appeared to be supporting prices, as did comments from Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez that he might propose an output cut at the OPEC meeting in early September.

Since mid-July, crude prices had pulled back by about $35, or nearly 25 percent, from their July 11 trading record of $147.27. The retreat arrived as the dollar recovered ground against other major currencies, and as evidence emerged that Western Europe's and Japan's economies are weakening alongside that of the United States _ which could put a damper on global energy demand.

But traders are now asking, how much lower can crude go? Hurricane season is far from over, political conflicts overseas are keeping supply worries alive, and developing economies are still expected to boost their energy use in the coming years. Because of these factors, many analysts say the price of oil _ still more than 60 percent higher than a year ago _ is about where it should be.

Heating oil futures rose 2.38 cents to $3.1475 a gallon in late morning trading on the Nymex, while gasoline prices added 2.41 cents to $2.888 a gallon. Natural gas futures increased 2.8 cents to $8.004 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, October Brent crude gained 82 cents to $114.07 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.