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(NEXSTAR) – High gas prices have become the norm for many drivers in the U.S. over the last two months, but some may find themselves white-knuckling the steering wheel when they see pump prices on Wednesday.

Across states in the Great Lakes region, the average prices per gallon have jumped well above $4. That includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, which have generally remained below the $4-a-gallon benchmark since conflict broke out in the Middle East last month. In Illinois, the statewide average is within one cent of $5 as of Wednesday afternoon, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, reported.

De Haan warned on Tuesday that those five states could see fuel prices rocket up amid “continued refinery challenges in the region.” BP’s Whiting Refinery, which is also experiencing a labor dispute, suffered an outage on Monday, according to local reports. Spring is also a time when refineries undergo maintenance, which can impact supply.

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De Haan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that “a pretty noticeable rise in price” was expected to be apparent before the weekend, and that the Iran situation also still plays into pump prices.

Wednesday afternoon, De Haan reported that the statewide average price for a gallon of gas had hit $4.79 in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. In Wisconsin, the average was $4.29, well below the $4.99 seen in Illinois.

The averages in those states were much lower on Tuesday, AAA data shows:

Illinois: $4.450

Indiana: $3.992

Michigan: $4.189

Ohio: $4.087

Wisconsin: $3.933

Nearby states could also be impacted, he warned, pointing to Kentucky, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas, though “it won’t be anything like Great Lakes states.”

As of Wednesday, AAA reports the national average sits at $4.229 a gallon. That’s the highest since July 2022, GasBuddy data shows. In June of that year, the U.S. saw its highest-ever national average of $5.016.

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So far this year, only Hawaii has set a record pump price, spiking at $5.670 a gallon on April 19.

Oil prices kept spurting higher on Wednesday and neared their highest levels since 2022. The highest price reached since the war with Iran began is $119.50 for the most actively traded Brent contract, reached last month. On Wednesday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude to be delivered in June, which is getting less trading action than July’s contract, briefly breached that mark. It got as high as $119.76.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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