AAA says that trend is expected to continue into the fall.
Frederick, Md. (KM) It’s good news for motorists, especially if they’re planning fall road trips. AAA Mid-Atlantic says the gasoline prices are falling.
Ragina Cooper Averella, Government and Public Affairs Manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic, says the price at the pump normally goes up during summer as more Americans head on down the highways for vacations, and then decline in the fall. “You’ll probably recall leading up to the Labor Day Holiday Weekend, we had seen a bit of a spike over the probably over the two to three weeks leading up to Labor Day Weekend,” she said. “However, since Labor Day Weekend we’ve seen prices begin to fall.”
At this time of year, oil companies begin refining a winter blend of gasoline.
AAA says the average price in Maryland is $2.17 per gallon, which is a five-cent drop from last week. But it’s more than it was a month ago when it was $2.07 per gallon. About this time one year ago, the average price of gasoline was $2.33 per gallon.
“Barring any major disruptions to supply, we expect gas prices will continue to trend downward,” says Averella.
Hurricane Season will continue through November 30th, and there’s always the possibility a storm could wreak havoc on gasoline prices by disrupting gasoline refining operations in the Gulf of Mexico. “We know that we’re not out of the woods so to speak, as far as the hurricane season goes. We’ve been fortunate thus far. So we’re hoping the storms will continue to stay away, or at least not impact the Gulf Region in a way that we have an issue with our refinery production,” she says.
Averella says Tropical Storm Hermine did not have much of an impact on gasoline prices.
By Kevin McManus