Gas Prices Continue To Fall


The average price of gasoline has dropped 16 cents a gallon over the past few weeks, and could fall a bit further in the coming weeks. A gallon of regular costs $3.62 on average across the country. Prices have been sliding since April 6, when they topped off just beneath the $4 mark at $3.97. In the nine weeks since then, they've dropped nearly 35 cents. Gas prices have followed a drop in crude oil prices. And a central force behind that is the economic troubles in Europe. If the oil prices stay relatively stable, "we may see a few more pennies drop" in gas prices. "Recently, refiners cut prices drastically and these are making their way to the street, especially in the west. In some markets we will see big drops." The average price, which the survey determines through tabulations of prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide, is nearly 12 cents lower than it was a year ago. The city with the lowest average price in the latest survey was Jackson, Mississippi, at $3.18. The highest average was in Seattle, at $4.22. Here in Watauga County prices are averaging in the $3.40 range with the lowest prices in North Carolina falling to $2.99.