Gas Prices Are Down But There’s Still Pain at The Pump

It's cheaper but it's still expensive. We're talking about gas. Officials at GasBuddy say gas prices are down 5.2 cents per gallon over the last week selling for an average of $4.69 a gallon.  Prices in Yakima are 46.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 93.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 13.1 cents in the last week and stands at $5.14 per gallon.
If you're looking for the cheapest gas in the valley you'll find it in Wapato selling for $4.20 a gallon.

More declines are set to happen later this week

The U.S. national average price of gas today has fallen back under the $4 mark to $3.99 per gallon for the first time since early March, according to GasBuddy, the leading fuel savings platform providing North American drivers with the most ways to save money on gas. Gas prices have declined over $1 per gallon since peaking at $5.03 on June 14, fueled by falling oil prices over the last month. Americans today will spend nearly $400 million less on gasoline than they did in mid-June.
"Diesel continues to decline as well, and will likely soon fall under $5 per gallon. We've even seen nearly a dozen stations in low-priced states fall under $2.99, a welcome return to some lucky motorists in areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. The groundwork is laid for a ninth week of decline, with areas of the West Coast soon ditching the $5 per gallon average. While I'm upbeat the drop can continue for another couple weeks, we're starting to see some activity in the tropics, which may increase risk of potential disruption."

The national price for gas is also down

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 15.8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.01 per gallon today. The national average is down 68.7 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 83.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Remember when?

Historical gasoline prices in Yakima and the national average going back ten years:
August 8, 2021: $3.75/g (U.S. Average: $3.18/g)
August 8, 2020: $2.63/g (U.S. Average: $2.17/g)
August 8, 2019: $3.19/g (U.S. Average: $2.66/g)
August 8, 2018: $3.31/g (U.S. Average: $2.87/g)
August 8, 2017: $2.71/g (U.S. Average: $2.36/g)
August 8, 2016: $2.52/g (U.S. Average: $2.12/g)
August 8, 2015: $3.08/g (U.S. Average: $2.60/g)
August 8, 2014: $3.86/g (U.S. Average: $3.47/g)
August 8, 2013: $3.88/g (U.S. Average: $3.58/g)
August 8, 2012: $3.66/g (U.S. Average: $3.65/g)

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices:
Tacoma- $4.60/g, down 19.6 cents per gallon from last week's $4.79/g.
Seattle- $5.01/g, down 16.7 cents per gallon from last week's $5.18/g.
Washington- $4.78/g, down 17.2 cents per gallon from last week's $4.95/g.