Holiday travelers this week should see prices at the pump that are nine cents lower than last week - and the lowest prices since March - with a statewide average of $2.48 per gallon.
By Thanksgiving Day, AAA reported Monday that the price should fall again by as much as five cents. However, the prices will remain slightly higher than last year's holiday prices.
Nearly 1.6 million Georgians will travel during Thanksgiving week, AAA predicts, and 1.4 million of them will drive. The agency also predicts nationally, 48.5 million people will get behind the wheel to travel this week.
"Georgians can be thankful for strong oil production and supplies, which have set the table for some of the lowest gas prices of the year," said Mark Jenkins with AAA. "The state average should carve-off another 5 cents before Thanksgiving, and eventually fall below $2.30 before fully adjusting to recent oil and wholesale gas price declines. However, there is potential for oil prices to rise in December, depending on how markets respond to possible OPEC oil production cuts and sanctions against Iranian oil exports."
Not all gas stations are equal in the state, with the highest prices found in Hinesville-Fort Stewart at $2.53, and coastal Brunswick and Savannah following at $2.58 and $2.53 respectively. Lower prices were spotted in Dalton at $2.35, Rome at $2.39 and Warner Robins at $2.40. Hall County was just shy of $2.42 on average, the highest price in AccessWDUN's 10 county coverage area was White County, at almost $2.58 per gallon.
Track prices for every county in Georgia here and every state in country here.
The national average for gasoline reached $2.63, and AAA reported some motorists are finding prices below $2 at individual stations in states with low gasoline taxes; Mississippi has the lowest state average at $2.28. However, no states are seeing an average below $2, and the agency said it would take another $10-$15 drop in crude oil per barrel for that to happen.
Early last week, the U.S. benchmark for crude oil dropped to $55.69 per barrel - the lowest since November 2017. By Friday, the daily settlement reached $56.46 - which is still about $4 a barrel less than last week, and $20 a barrel less than this year's high, set last month.
