Motorists fill up on gasoline at a Sheetz station on Pittsburgh Road in Butler Township. William Pitts/Butler Eagle.

Gas prices have been steadily on the rise in Western Pennsylvania as of late.

According to the price-tracking service GasBuddy, the average price for regular unleaded gasoline in the Pittsburgh area is $3.85 per gallon as of Tuesday, April 9. That marks a 12-cent jump from seven days earlier, when the average price sat at $3.73 per gallon.

It’s also a jump from the same point 12 months earlier, when the average price for regular gasoline in Pittsburgh was $3.78 per gallon.

According to Patrick DeHaan, an industry expert from GasBuddy.com, the price of gasoline is seasonal. April is the time of year when prices typically rise, due to both an increase in demand from travelers and due to industry trends.

“The refineries generally start doing maintenance during spring or late winter, when Americans aren’t driving as much,” DeHaan said. “Because there’s not as much refining capacity as maintenance is happening, gas prices go up.”

Late March and early April is also typically the time for spring break, a major travel event for students and families.

“Americans start to get out more in the spring, thinking Easter and spring break. We obviously just had an eclipse,” DeHaan said. “All of that happening at the same time, and in quick succession, is generally what pushes prices up every spring.”

DeHaan believes that prices will peak “in the next four to six weeks” and fall by June, when refineries usually return to their full capacity.

International events, such as the ongoing unrest in the Middle East and Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine, could also play a part in the rise or fall of oil prices.

“Russia’s oil is heavily sanctioned,” said DeHaan. “The tensions in the Middle East have added a risk premium to oil, essentially because the market is guessing something may happen there that could impact the flow of oil from Iran.”

At some stations in Western Pennsylvania drivers have an option to purchase a cheaper blend of gasoline comprised of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline, whereas regular unleaded gasoline has 10% ethanol.

Of course, there may be a catch. Not every vehicle is built to accept the higher-ethanol formula.

“Most gasoline in the nation has been 10% ethanol for decades,” DeHaan said. “Not every manufacturer says it’s OK now. The manufacturer of my vehicle that’s only five years old not to use it warns not to use it because the car was not designed to run on something over 10% ethanol.”

However, most cars assembled within the last few years can safely run the cheaper formula. For those who have a newer vehicle, DeHaan believes that the cost savings can be worth it to consumers who are willing to overlook the slight trade-off in fuel efficiency.

“There have been studies that show that the difference in mileage between E10 and E15 is negligible,” DeHaan said. “If E15 is priced 20 cents less than E10, if you’re OK with the slight impact potentially to your mileage, I would fill up with it.”