Gas prices in Colorado Springs are rising, up by about 26 cents per gallon compared to the same time last week, according to a GasBuddy survey.

AAA Colorado, the local arm of the national travel agency, reported a 25-cent increase compared to last week. Still, Colorado’s average of $3.02 per gallon is cheaper than the national average of $3.11 per gallon.

Colorado Springs’ average of $3.04 per gallon is slightly above the Colorado and Denver averages, but below the average in mountain towns such as Vail and Glenwood Springs, according to AAA, which noted prices in all the metro areas increased from a week ago.

These increases are more likely due to seasonal changes in demand and a shift to a summer blend of gasoline, rather than war in the Middle East, said Skyler McKinley, the regional director of public affairs for AAA.

“Prices go up this time of year, and it’s that background level that we’re all accustomed to because it’s March. Spring break is about to kick off, demand increases and soon we’ll be switching over to summer blend,” he said. “Structurally and seasonally, prices were on the rise. They’re rising in Colorado from an artificially low floor.”

The summer blend has additives that prevent evaporation in hotter months, but also drive up the overall cost of gasoline, according to AAA.

One reason this round of increases isn’t related to the Middle East war: The U.S. does not buy oil from Iran. A majority of Colorado’s gasoline comes from Canadian crude oil, McKinley said.

That’s not to say markets will be immune from the ongoing fighting, according to Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis.

“Looking ahead, markets will now begin reacting to this weekend’s U.S.–Iran attacks, which have elevated geopolitical risk premiums even in the absence of immediate supply disruption,” De Haan said in a news release.

Nationally, gas rose 12 cents per gallon on Tuesday, according to GasBuddy. De Haan noted it was the largest single-day increase since March 4, 2022.

De Haan expects the national average to rise another 15-30 cents in the next few weeks, but that could change based on developments in the Middle East, he told The Gazette.

There is also a lag time in cost increases, McKinley said. The true impact of closing the Strait of Hormuz, the Middle East passageway that accounts for the transportation of one-fifth of oil consumed, might not be felt for another two to six weeks, according to McKinley. At least 150 vessels were stranded there on Monday.

Gas station operators also don’t typically raise gas prices in response to international strife, McKinley added. He said gasoline sales margins are low, and owners make most of their money inside the convenience stores.

“I think motorists have this idea that a gas station owner wakes up and says, ‘Oh, there’s uncertainty, I need to raise my prices,’ but it really doesn’t work like that,” he said. “They really try to price gas in relation to their cost because they don’t have an economic incentive for higher gas prices. … Gas attracts you into the convenience store, and the convenience store is where you, as an owner, make your money.”

On Tuesday, oil prices soared, reaching their highest levels in more than a year, the Associated Press reported. Iran struck energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which disrupted oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate, an American blend of oil, increased from $71.32 per barrel on Monday to $74.95 per barrel by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, according to oilprice.com.