Traditionally, the cooler months of the year bring a downward slide in gas prices.

Not so this year, however, as September closed with prices flat-lined for nearly three weeks in a row. The average gas price in Montana is still stuck at $3.76 while the national price has slid a meager 2.4 cents to reach an average price of $3.79.

According to Gas Buddy Petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan, the seasonally high prices are caused "by a culmination of factors.  We have quantitative easing putting pressure on the dollar and the dollar has weakened driving oil prices higher. We also have the turmoil in the middle east continuing to reverberate causing some fear in the market place, and economic improvement continues here in the United States so there is sentiment that that could have impact on demand."

Prices at the start of the week are 12.2 cents higher than they were on the same day a year ago and .8 cents higher than they were at the start of September.

Dehaan says that he does not anticipate much change in the gas price over the next seven days.

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