The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Riverside County was unchanged Tuesday for the second consecutive day, remaining at $4.605
The average price is 1.6 cents more than one week ago, 21 cents higher than one month ago and 14.7 cents greater than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. It has dropped $1.768 since rising to a record $6.373 on Oct. 5, 2022.
A 15-day streak of increases totaling 12.8 cents that boosted the Riverside County average price to its highest amount since May 30 ended Sunday with a decrease of two-tenths of a cent.
The national average price resumed dropping, decreasing 1.3 cents to $3.171, one day after a three-day streak of decreases totaling 2 cents ended with an increase of one-tenth of a cent. It is 1.5 cents less than one week ago and 2.6 cents lower than one year ago but 2.2 cents more than one month ago, but 2.4 cents less than one year ago.
The national average price has dropped $1.845 since rising to a record $5.016 on June 14, 2022.
“The national average saw a slight increase last week, primarily driven by states that experienced price cycling just ahead of the switch back to winter gasoline,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which provides real-time gas price information from more than 150,000 stations, said in a statement released Monday.
“Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Maryland — all states known for routine price cycling — saw double-digit jumps to average gas prices. Now that much of the nation has begun the transition to cheaper winter gasoline, and with driving demand seasonally tapering off as temperatures dip, gas prices face additional downward pressure.
“We’re still on track to potentially see the national average fall below $3 per gallon for the first time in years this autumn.”