Iowans are getting a bit of a break at the gas pump as they hit the road this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Triple-A Iowa spokesperson Gail Weinholzer says prices at the pump have been dropping in recent weeks, but motorists in Iowa are paying more to fuel up compared to Thanksgiving 2010.
The average price for regular unleaded gas in Iowa currently stands at $3.28 a gallon. That’s up from $2.82 at this time last year, but it’s down nearly 70-cents a gallon compared to this summer. Gas prices in Iowa have dropped 8-cents a gallon in the last week. Weinholzer says there are a couple of reasons for the recent dip in prices.
“It’s been not only the cost of crude oil plateauing, but we’ve also finished the switch over from the summer to winter grade fuel. That costs a bit less to refine and therefore we see some price reductions at the pump,” Weinholzer said. Nationally, gas prices are averaging $3.35 a gallon for regular unleaded.
Triple-A projects 38.2 million Americans will travel somewhere by vehicle over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — a four-percent increase over last year.