Drivers notice prices at the gas pump are on the rise, but why?

MILWAUKEE -- Drivers in southeast Wisconsin may notice the price per gallon of gasoline has bounced up -- and may climb into the weekend.

FOX6 News spoke with Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com. He said gas prices went up already about seven cents per gallon on average. But some stations have seen more significant increases.

DeHaan says the increases come in the wake of an unexpected refinery shutdown at BP's Whiting, Indiana facility. It is responsible for producing a significant amount of gasoline supply for the region.

BP refinery

"This BP refinery is responsible for a significant part of the region’s gasoline supply. The BP refinery supplies thousands of stations that are not BP, and in some cases BP may even supply other oil companies like Shell or Citgo -- any brand of station. This is a huge refinery. The brand doesn’t really take a role. BP may be going up, but so will almost every other gas station. I don’t foresee any stations keeping their prices low," DeHaan said.

DeHaan expects prices to rise for the next one to two weeks before eventually stabilizing. DeHaan says it may be three to four weeks before we see prices return to where they were before the refinery shutdown.

"Gas prices across Milwaukee are currently averaging $2.66 with more and bigger increases set to come, thanks to a weekend unexpected refinery shutdown of the largest refinery in the Midwest -- that being BP's Whiting, Indiana facility which is responsible for producing a significant amount of gasoline supply for the region. We could see prices increasing over one to two weeks before eventually stabilizing and perhaps falling. A timeframe on the falling is tough to nail down. BP hasn't been clear on the extent of the damage and timetable for restoration. It may be several weeks if not a month. So while price increases could last maybe one to two weeks longer, I think prices could return to where they were Monday perhaps by three to four weeks from now, so it may be some time before we see prices return to where they were before this whole mess," DeHaan said.

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