The Triple-A’s latest survey finds gasoline prices in Iowa are slightly below the national average. The Triple-A’s Gail Weinholzer says gas prices across the U.S. are falling from record-highs, and Iowa pump prices are following that trend. The national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $2.96. The average price in Iowa is about $2.90. “Iowa typically doesn’t run any significant amount above the national average,” Weinholzer says. Prices have peaked, according to most experts. “It’s been a very volatile market, obviously, because of demand during the summer and the hurricane in New Orleans, but I think you’re seeing prices stabilize and drop a bit and I would anticipate that to continue over time,” she says. Weinholzer says pipelines are open again and about a third of the refineries knocked out by Hurricane Katrina are back on-line. “As that number increases, hopefully you’ll see the (gasoline) prices decline,” Weinholzer says. So what’s the prediction for gas prices this fall? “I think you’ll probably see a slight decline over time between now and Thanksgiving because of the refineries coming back on line,” Weinholzer says. “But Thanksgiving is the next big travel holiday and actually it’s the heaviest-traveled weekend of the year.” That means demand may outpace supply, and boost gas prices again. According to the Triple-A, the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded of three-dollars-and-five cents on Labor Day was an all-time high. Prices since then, nationally, have dropped about a dime a gallon. Still, gasoline is over a dollar a gallon more expensive today than it was at this time a year ago. According to the Triple-A, Cedar Rapids gas stations are selling gas for about $2.94 a gallon. Stations in Davenport are selling it for $3.02. The average price in Des Moines right now is $2.79. In Sioux City it’s $2.95 and in Waterloo it’s $2.91.
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