The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County rose seven-tenths of a cent Wednesday to $4.495, a day after rising nine-tenths of a cent.
The average price is 3.7 cents more than one week ago, but 3.9 cents less than a month ago and 79 cents lower than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.878 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.
The national average price dropped eight-tenths of a cent to $3.317, a day after dropping six-tenths of a cent. It was the 19th decrease in the past 20 days.
It is 4.4 cents less than one week ago, 15.7 cents less than one month ago and 49.6 cents less than one year ago. The national average price has dropped $1.499 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.
“The national average price of gasoline prices has continued to slump for the fifth straight week,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations.
“With the summer driving season now over, we have much to look forward to for the fall: more drops at the pump as demand drops seasonally, and the changeover to cheaper winter gasoline is just two weeks away. As long as we don’t see a major hurricane head into the Gulf and the situation improves in the Middle East, the national average could fall below $3 in the next two months. GasBuddy is already tracking eight states at that level or lower.”