FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Filling up on gas this week may have cost you a bit more than the previous few weeks.

The average gas price in the Fresno area has risen 20.5 cents per gallon from last week. This brought the average to about $4.32 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. The prices in Fresno are 31.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago but 11.4 cents per gallon than at this time in 2022. As for the national average, the price of diesel went up 5.4 cents which stood at $4.65 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest gas station in Fresno as of Friday afternoon was priced at $3.75 per gallon. The lowest price in t the state is currently $3.59 per gallon.

The national average price of gas in the U.S. rose 9.7 cents per gallon in the last week which averaged $3.49 per gallon. This is 33.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 14.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago according to GasBuddy.

An analyst from GasBuddy talked about the reasons why the national price of gasoline has gone up for the fifth straight week.

“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. Because of the surge in prices last spring, many refineries that had planned maintenance deferred maintenance until 2023. With the can kicked to this year, we may have similar challenges producing enough refined products to meet demand, especially with the European Union cutting off refined products from Russia starting February 5,” De Haan continued.

You can keep track of the lowest gas prices in Fresno here.