For the first time in months, the average price of gas actually rose. The average price of retail gasoline went from $1.67 per gallon last week to $1.74 Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The increase ended a months-long continuous decrease in the average price of the fuel. The reversal is being linked to an increase in oil prices, which bottomed out Dec. 19. The culprit is suspected to be a combination of growing tensions in the Middle East, as well as production cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the sentiment by traders that the drop in prices went too far, according to The New York Times.
Some regions are feeling the pinch more than others. In Chicago, for example, the average price of a gallon went from $1.73 last week to $1.90 as of Monday.
Going against the national average, a few regions continued to see prices decrease, including the central Atlantic, where the average price went from $1.76 per gallon last week to $1.75 per gallon Monday.