ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Although gas prices tend to drift downward this time of year, that is not the case right now. Instead, they are actually climbing.

GasBuddy said on Monday, the national average for regular gas jumped to $3.49 a gallon. The tech company said prices have increased by 10 cents in the past week and 33 cents in the past month—but they’re still quite a bit lower than the record of $5.02 per gallon, set in June 2022.

The Capital Region has not been immune to those soaring prices. For most people in the area, a gallon of gas cost $3.60 on Monday. That number is up nearly nine cents from a week ago.

“The national average price of gasoline has risen for the fifth straight week as retailers pass along the rise in wholesale gasoline prices due to continued challenges: refinery utilization that still hasn’t fully recovered from December’s cold weather, and refinery maintenance season that’s just around the corner,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “There appears to be little good news on the gas price front, with prices unlikely to turn around any time soon.”