SLO County gas prices fall below $6 for first time in a month. Is bigger drop on the way?
After months of increasingly painful experiences at the pump, San Luis Obispo County customers are starting to see some relief.
The average cost of a gallon of regular gas fell to $6.36 per gallon on Thursday, according to GasBuddy.com — the first time it has fallen below $6.40 since June 7.
That also marks an almost 18-cent drop in prices across the past three weeks, according to GasBuddy data, which means you can now find some local stations charging less than $6 a gallon for regular.
During the first part of June, local gas prices continued to climb, reaching a peak of $6.56 per gallon on June 17. But soon after that, the local average grew more erratic, jumping and dropping — but generally trending downward — through the start of this month.
Now they could potentially continue to drop if prices follow national trends.
According to GasBuddy, the national average price of gas fell 10.4 cents on July 5 from the previous week to $4.78 per gallon. That was down 7.1 cents from June and was the lowest level in more than four weeks.
“As expected, and for the third straight week, average gasoline prices have fallen to their lowest level in over a month,” GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan said in a news release.
De Haan said Americans were spending nearly $100 million per day less on gas than when prices peaked in early June.
“That’s well-needed relief at a time when gas prices remain near records,” he said.
De Haan cautioned that prices at the pump could go back up if oil prices increase once again.
On Thursday, De Haan tweeted he estimated a drop of between 25 to 30 cents per gallon in the coming weeks — down somewhat from a rosier estimate of 40 to 65 cents per gallon, thanks to a Thursday increase in oil prices.
Where is cheapest gas in San Luis Obispo County?
After several weeks of above $6 per gallon prices, several stations in San Luis Obispo County are now charging below $6 at the pump.
Here are the six cheapest stations in the county as of Thursday, according to GasBuddy:
- San Paso Truck Stop; 81 Wellsona Road, Paso Robles: $5.89
VP Racing Fuels; 1441 Spring St., Paso Robles: $5.99
Spirit; 1637 Spring St., Paso Robles: $5.99
One Stop Food; 703 Spring St., Paso Robles: $5.99
Gill’s Liquor; 1490 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande: $5.99
7-Eleven; 8000 El Camino Real, Atascadero: $5.99
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