(Radio Iowa) – Crude oil prices are starting to rise, which means gasoline prices will certainly follow, according to Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa. The weather is getting colder and refineries are starting to switch to the winter blends of fuel. “You might seen an increase at the gas pump soon,” Mitts says. “That would be a couple of cents that goes toward this specific factor. The good news is, in Iowa, the gas price average is roughly $3.04 which is well below the national average of $3.27.”

Mitts says many diverse factors are involved in setting crude oil prices, making it difficult to predict what may be coming. “When we’re seeing the difference in crude oil prices and what’s happening, it has to do with supply and demand,” Mitts says, “it has to do with the political climate, it has to do with what natural storms are happening in the areas where these oils are being mined and refined.” Triple-A says the cheapest gas in Iowa is being sold in Council Bluffs at two-99 a gallon, while it’s most expensive in Dubuque at three-14.