Gasoline prices are steadily falling across Iowa. The statewide average price is $3.34, which has slid more than 30 cents a gallon in the past month. The national average gas price has dropped for more than 30 days in a row, the longest consecutive decline in more than a year.
Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says several factors are coming into play, bringing us cheaper trips to fill the tank. “One is an abundant gasoline supply because, of course, we are past the end of the summer driving season, kids are back in school and fewer auto trips are being taken,” Weinholzer says. “Secondly, we’re looking at lower crude oil costs than we saw at the beginning of September when issues were quite heated in Syria and there was some potential for a United States strike.”
She also notes, we’ve switched from the summer to winter fuel blends, which are cheaper to refine, plus, there have been no major hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region. Weinholzer was asked if the price for a gallon of gas will hit $3.00-a-gallon in the coming weeks. “That might be a bit optimistic, $3.10 or $3.15 is probably more likely but certainly possible should political unrest continue to recede in the Middle East and should the Gulf Coast remain relatively hurricane-free,” she says.
Last month, Iowa reached the landmark of 1,000 days that gasoline prices were at or above $3.00-a-gallon. Iowa’s now at $3.34 a gallon, four cents below the national average. The cheapest gas in the country is in South Carolina at $3.09, while Hawaii is the most expensive at $4.26.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)