Gasoline Prices Fall, Except for Florida

The approaching hurricane Dorian has pushed gasoline prices higher in Florida and South Carolina, while most of the rest of the country is seeing falling prices at the pump, according to AAA.

For the week ending Sept. 3, a gallon of regular unleaded fell 1 cents to a national average of $2.57, which is 14 cents lower than a month ago and 26 cents cheaper than a year ago.

However, the average per-gallon price increased 4 cents to $2.44 in Florida and 1 cent to $2.24 in South Carolina. Dorian has threatened those states as it moves closer to the U.S. after ripping through the Bahamas over Labor Day weekend. Gasoline prices also headed higher in California (up 5 cents) and Ohio (up 2 cents).

"As an east coast storm, Hurricane Dorian is not threatening major oil and gas infrastructure so its impact is localized to its path along the East Coast," said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. "For the rest of the country, demand, which remains high, is chipping away at supply, but not at a high enough rate to increase gas prices."

States with the least expensive gasoline now include Louisiana ($2.18), Mississippi ($2.18), Alabama ($2.21), South Carolina ($2.24), Arkansas ($2.25), Tennessee ($2.26), Oklahoma ($2.26), Missouri ($2.27), Texas ($2.27), and Virginia ($2.31).

States with the largest weekly price declines included Michigan (9 cents), Delaware (7 cents), Maryland (5 cents), Texas (5 cents), Nebraska (4 cents), New Jersey (4 cents), and Iowa (3 cents). Gasoline also fell 10 cents in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the average price of a gallon of diesel fell seven-tenths of a cent to $2.976 for the week ending Sept. 2, which is 27.6 cents lower than a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.