DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)– The brief break in rising gas prices is over. Gas prices are surging once again as the crisis in Ukraine continues and local experts believe that prices will increase for the foreseeable future.

Drivers across the country continue to feel pain at the pump as the price of crude oil continues to soar.

“Whenever the demand picks up, the production needs to follow but it’s not that simple,” said Director of the Center for Global Business at Wright State University Professor Riad Ajami. “Now, we have that perfect storm.”

With Americans staying home during the pandemic, prices were relatively low. However, two years later, experts believe more Americans are driving and the crisis in Ukraine continues with no end in sight causing major disruptions.

“We have decided to move towards a green environment, polluting the air less, meaning using less petroleum products, but when you put them all together it tends to be uncertain and uncertainty is here,” said Professor Ajami.

For the first time in a month, the nation’s average gas price saw an increase, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

The national average gas price now sits at $4.11 — up 4.4 cents from a week ago, down 13.3 cents from a month ago and $1.24 per gallon higher than a year ago.