Mahoning Valley - Gas prices have once again been increasing since the start of 2022, and experts are predicting that the Mahoning Valley could be seeing prices close to $4 by the spring.

Currently in Youngstown, prices are between $2.89 and $3.02 per gallon, in Niles it's up to $3.15 and in Pennsylvania, Hermitage is seeing prices up to $3.40 per gallon.

Within the past month, gas prices have risen between 20 to 30 cents. There are several contributing factors to this with the main one being the pandemic as refineries have kept their supplies low.

Sarah Jenyk, a senior lecturer in economics at Youngstown State University tells 21 News that another major contributing factor is refineries switching over to a spring blend, which is more expensive than the winter blend.

"It's basically based on temperature, so they have to change the blend of the gasoline in order to make it suitable for the season that we are in," Jenyk said.

Just last month, crude oil trading was in the lower 60s per barrel, and now one month later, oil is trading in the lower 80s. And that can only continue to rise as springtime gets closer.

However, the same analysts are predicting that prices should come down by the end of 2022. In the meantime, we can expect to be paying in the mid $3 range or more by the springtime.