When was the last time you remember gas prices going up? They continue the downward trend today. Average retail gasoline prices in Yakima have fallen 3.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.44/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 91 gas outlets in Yakima. This compares with the national average that has fallen 5.4 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.26/g, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

 

Including the change in gas prices in Yakima during the past week, prices yesterday were 90.8 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 21.2 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 3.7 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 84.5 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.

 

"Falling gasoline prices have been the name of the game after a brief hiatus," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com. "49 of the nation's 50 states saw gasoline prices falling an average of six cents a gallon during the last week, while the Midwest, previously hit with price spikes, saw among the biggest declines as some refiners returned from maintenance, easing supply concerns. Oil prices also took a break after seeing the largest weekly increase since 2009 to post a big decrease last week."

 

"At last week's close, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude was seen trading around $46/bbl, which certainly helped gasoline prices fall. The gasoline price environment remains vastly improved versus a year ago: just 13.4% of nation's gas stations are selling at over $2.50/gallon today, while a year ago, 100% of stations were over that mark. Nearly a quarter of the nation's gasoline stations are currently selling under $2/gallon, and that number will likely grow in the months ahead as refiners continue to finish maintenance and resume producing gasoline at a time when demand is low, contributing downward pressure to gasoline prices."

 

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