Here we are. Again.

Gas prices rose another penny last week. And it doesn’t look like that trend will be reversing any time soon.

Last week, before the Russian invasion, Ukrainian speculation was that gas prices would rise if they invaded. They did, and they did.

Maine’s average price for a gallon yesterday was $3.60. This is also the average price across the country, when you check the average prices which finds California generally at the highest price and Florida often at the lowest. And Maine mainly towards the middle of the pack.

The last time the price of a barrel of oil was where it was at the end of last week was in 2014. Just over $100 a barrel. What happens if or when it hits, say, $150 a barrel.

Oil companies are making record profits and no one is predicting that they will keep prices low and take the financial hit.

And again, with Russia supplying 10% of the United States’ oil, and now part of the sanctions program implemented by the United States and by NATO and many other countries around the world means that importing them is now irrelevant, it only looks like it will get better before it gets worse.

Some are predicting that it won’t just be California that has gas prices over $5 a gallon, it will be the whole country.

Filling up the gas tank is never fun. But it’s starting to be a serious inconvenience and it doesn’t seem like any expert thinks it will be short-lived.