Gas prices in Pennsylvania are almost four cents higher this week, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

The average price of gas on Tuesday in the state was $3.630 compared to $3.592 on Dec. 27.

In the Lehigh Valley area, the average price was $3.506 on Tuesday, up almost 9 cents from $3.415 on Dec. 27.

The late December winter storm and its frigid temperatures caused gas prices to spike, with refineries as far south as Texas and the Gulf Coast forced to shut down temporarily.

The storm also caused holiday travelers to fuel up and hit the road early, leading to a spike in overall gas demand. The national average for a gallon of gas rose 12 cents over the last week to hit $3.228. This is almost 20 cents less than a month ago and 6 cents less than a year ago.

According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose from 8.7 to 9.3 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks fell by 3 million barrels to 223 million barrels. More demand and less supply helped push pump prices higher.