Ohio gasoline prices again fell this week

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Average retail gasoline prices in Ohio have fallen 9.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.01 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 gas outlets in Ohio. This compares with the national average that has fallen 3.3 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.26 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Ohio during the past week, prices Sunday were 34.8 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 32.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 6.7 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 46.2 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on January 30 in Ohio have ranged widely over the last five years: $1.66 per gallon in 2016, $2.07 per gallon in 2015, $3.20 per gallon in 2014, $3.47 per gallon in 2013, and $3.38 per gallon in 2012.

“For the 22nd straight day, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has dropped, the longest such streak since last summer,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “Average prices now stand at their lowest thus far in 2017 and the lowest since before Christmas, thanks primarily to weak demand for gasoline and also bulging inventories of gasoline.”

“Soaking weather on the West Coast has certainly dampened motorists’ appetite for gasoline, while in the Midwest, weak demand has led to a surplus of winter gasoline, leading some stations in the region to offer the nation’s lowest price: $1.52 can be found at a gas station in Oxford, Ohio,” said DeHaan. “But before motorists celebrate such cheap gas, the sweet deal likely won’t stick much longer, as we’ve been waiting since last week to see such loss-leaders to disappear.

“However, we may continue to see the national average moderate during the next week, with the exception in the Great Lakes — where a price adjustment of sorts is still expected,” DeHaan noted.