WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Prices at the pump are ticking up locally amid renewed instability in the global oil market.

AAA reports that the average cost of a gallon of gas in Whatcom County currently sits at $4.80 as of Monday afternoon, July 20.

That’s up about two cents from last week, but still more than 40 cents lower than a month ago.

Statewide, gas prices have hovered around $5 per gallon for the past week, remaining roughly a dollar above the national average.

GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz paired with continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have squeezed an already strained global oil supply.

“While the ongoing U.S.-Iran situation continues to weigh on markets, the story is increasingly less about crude oil and more about global refining capacity,” De Haan said in a news release. “With WTI crude approaching $85 per barrel in Sunday night trading, price-cycling markets are likely to see another jolt higher in the coming days, and motorists should brace for a rougher stretch ahead.”