Motorists in Denver are now paying more than $1 more per gallon on average at the pump than they were when March began — and one expert said two factors could continue to push prices higher.

Denver gas prices jolted another 43.5 cents per gallon last week, a survey of 844 stations across the city showed, and sat at $3.85 cents on Monday. GasBuddy.com, a gas price monitoring website, said that was on top of a 63.6-cent jump in Denver the week prior.

A gallon of gas in Denver was only $2.77 per gallon on Feb. 28 when the Trump administration and Israel launched attacks on Iran, sending global oil prices soaring.

“Consumers continue to feel the sting of rising oil, gasoline and diesel costs as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remain elevated, pushing gasoline prices to their highest levels in years while diesel could soon approach the $5-per-gallon mark nationally,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a news release.

On Feb. 23, Denver motorists were paying just $2.50 per gallon at the pump on average and on Jan. 4 of this year, that price was a mere $2.13, according to GasBuddy’s records.

The $3.85 per gallon price at the pump on Monday was the highest Denver had seen on March 16 since 2022, when a gallon cost $3.93.

The national average for a gallon of gas this week rose 23.2 cents to finish the week at $3.68, according to a GasBuddy survey of 150,000 stations. That price is up 80 cents in the last month.

De Haan said motorists should prepare for prices to climb even higher.

“Until we see a meaningful resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, upward pressure on fuel prices is likely to persist,” De Haan said. “At the same time, seasonal forces are beginning to intensify as several regions complete the transition to summer gasoline, creating a double headwind that could continue driving pump prices higher in the weeks ahead.”