Gas prices continue to trickle downward

ALBANY — After a short anomaly in which prices actually rose for a couple of days, gasoline prices in the nation, state and metro Albany continued their downward momentum over the past week.

In metro Albany Monday, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was $1.974 a gallon, a 2.8-cents-a-gallon drop from last week. The state average fell 3.3 cents a gallon and was at $2.02 a gallon Monday, while the national average was at $2.237, a 3-cent drop from the previous week, according to news releases from surveyors GasBuddy and AAA-The Auto Club Group.

“After a brief hiccup that saw the nation’s average gas price rise for two days last week, the overall trend remains in favor of lower gas prices, even as oil prices have rallied,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said. “The window for cheap gas prices continues to close, however, and by mid-February will likely be completely closed — so do take advantage of the low prices while they last.

“While 11 states are seeing their statewide average under $2 per gallon, nearly half of the nation’s gas stations are selling under $2 per gallon. In fact, while the average price remains higher, the median gas price in the U.S. sits at $2.07 per gallon — much of which can be blamed on much higher gas prices on the West Coast — where more relief in the form of lower prices can be expected.”

Slightly lower average prices than those found in metro Albany were recorded in the Catoosa-Dade-Walker ($1.88), Dalton ($1.93) and Warner Robins ($1.96) MSAs on Monday. The most expensive prices in the state were in Hinesville-Fort Stewart ($2.22), Brunswick ($2.15), Savannah ($2.14).

Compared to last Memorial Day, when the state average peaked at around $2.84, Georgia drivers are now saving an average of nearly $12 for a 15-gallon tank of gasoline. On average, Americans are paying 67 cents per gallon less than they did three months ago, amounting to a savings of $10 for a full 15-gallon tank of gasoline.