PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Gas prices rose in parts of northern New England in the last week.

Prices in Maine went up 0.7 cents per gallon over the past week, according to GasBuddy, which surveys stations. The price in the state was up to $3.45 per gallon, the organization said Monday.

Prices in New Hampshire stayed the same at $3.36. In Vermont, prices went up half a penny to land at $3.43. Prices fell about 2.4 cents to $3.45 in the Burlington area, however.

The national average was $3.37 per gallon. That was a decrease of 3.4 cents.

Gas price declines are likely coming, in part because of the emergence of another COVID-19 variant, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. He said consumers “could be in store for lower prices based on many countries turning back to travel restrictions, limiting oil demand and potentially accelerating the drop in gas prices.”