Feb. 7—It's baaack — $4 gasoline.

Colorado Springs motorists paid an average of $4.016 on Tuesday for a gallon of unleaded regular, up a penny from Monday when prices hit the $4 mark for the first time since August, according to travel organization AAA.

ALSO: Click or tap here for the cheapest gas prices and locations around Colorado Springs

Local prices now have risen by a little more than 12 cents per gallon in the past week and zoomed by nearly $1 over the last month, AAA figures show.

Colorado's statewide average also has soared by about $1 per gallon over the last month and stood at $3.931 on Tuesday. Nationally, a gallon of unleaded regular averaged $3.457.

Colorado is one of the fastest-increasing markets nationwide and is among the 10 most expensive fuel markets overall, said Skyler McKinley, AAA Colorado's regional director of public affairs.

"In the same period that we jumped a buck, the national average jumped around 30 cents," he said.

The same trends that began to drive up Colorado prices starting in late December have helped propel increases of late: robust demand, better-than-expected employment, the reopening of the Chinese economy and some supply constraints globally, McKinley said.

But Colorado also has been hit hard by the temporary shutdown of the Suncor Energy oil refinery in Commerce City, just north of Denver.

The refinery, which closed in late December, is the only one in Colorado and supplies about 40% of the gasoline used by state motorists, according to the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, an industry trade group.

Without the fuel it produces, gas supplies have been squeezed even as demand remains steady — sending prices skyrocketing.

Sign Up for Springs AM Update

Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country

Sign Up

View all of our newsletters.

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

View all of our newsletters.

"The reason why we have jumped so steeply, so harshly, so noticeably, is almost entirely attributable to the unique supply side factors we have going on here with regard to Suncor," McKinley said.

Canadian-based Suncor closed its refinery in late December, and blamed the shutdown on equipment damage at the facility after extreme, below-zero temperatures that month. At the same time, two fires injured two employees at the facility.

The refinery isn't expected to resume normal operations until the end of the first quarter, Suncor has said, which points to a reopening in late March.

In addition to Colorado Springs, average gas prices now top $4 in Glenwood Springs, Pueblo and Vail, according to AAA. Prices haven't jumped as high in Denver, however; they averaged $3.905 on Tuesday or about 11 cents less than the Springs.

Alternate fuel supplies are entering Colorado via an industry terminal in Aurora, and it's a little cheaper to truck and transport gas to the Denver area, which accounts for its slightly lower prices, McKinley said. Also, because Denver is larger, there are economic incentives for fuel suppliers to enter that market, he said.

"That's the reason, of course, the Suncor refinery was located where it is, because of Denver being a major metro," McKinley said. "The bigger the city, the better economies of scale you begin to see and you notice some savings at the pump. But, again, it's not significant. Eleven cents means a lot in aggregate, but I don't think a lot of drivers notice necessarily 10 cents compared to, let's say, a buck."

McKinley said he expects steady price increases until Suncor's refinery resumes operations, though not as sharply as over the last month.

Prices eventually will stabilize and even fall — but only gradually and not as quickly as they jumped by $1 over the past month, he said. Demand will continue as motorists travel on spring break, which is a prelude to even greater driving and demand in the summer.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news on this, but I don't think that prices are going to jump off a cliff, "McKinley said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE GAZETTE