Gas prices in Lockport increased to $3.83 this week, according to AAA East Central. That's six cents higher than the $3.77 they were last week and 14 cents higher than a year ago this week.

The national average price at the pump is $3.67 per gallon, two cents more than last week, 14 cents more than one month ago and 15 cents more than the same date last year.

AAA explains that refineries are required to start producing summer-blend gasoline by May 1. Many refineries go offline for scheduled maintenance at this time of year. This decrease in supply can cause prices in certain areas to rise, but fluctuations have been minimal thus far this season.

Additionally, over the past few days, a number of refineries had to temporarily shut down or restart in order to perform unscheduled maintenance. These supply disruptions during the planned changeover have the potential to put additional upward pressure on prices, and are worth monitoring as we approach the switchover deadline and enter peak driving season.

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