Western Pa. gas price average dips below $2
A screenshot of GasBuddy’s map shows Washington enjoying the lowest regional averages, while the Mon Valley and Greene County saw gasoline prices hovering around $1.98 Tuesday.
Two competing gas stations near the state police barracks on Murtland Avenue – BP and Valero – were the high-price outliers at $1.83, about two cents higher than most other stations in the Washington area.
The glut of cheap gas should last at least through February as weak demand in January pushed gas prices below $2 in Southwestern Pennsylvania. But the $1.98 average for the region may climb above $2 come March after a final dip to $1.91 averages in the region by the end of February, according to GasBuddy.com analyst Jeffrey Pelton.
“It’s trending down just like we predicted back in October. It’s a good news, bad news situation. The market on the whole is down 7 cents, an indication that prices will continue to drive down well into February, but March signals when refineries start undergoing maintenance, and that will start to drive prices back up above $2,” Pelton said Tuesday.
January is typically a low-demand month for gas purchases, and this year’s was no different. Pelton expects that low demand to carry through February, chipping away another potential 7 cents before bottoming out at $1.91. While $1.99 averages were posted in Waynesburg and Donora, Washington-area gas stations enjoyed averages of $1.81, the lowest recorded in the tri-county area, according to AAA. The national average is near $1.80, the cheapest February prices since 2004, when the national average was $1.59, according to GasBuddy data.
Jeff Linder of Stanton Heights was filling up Tuesday at BP on Murtland Avenue with prices at $1.83 – an outlier in the city along with Valero across the street – and he said prices near the Pittsburgh Zoo, where he lives, haven’t broken $1.99.
“The first time I saw $1.83 was Monday, so I came back. But I don’t seek it out – that doesn’t make financial sense to drive around looking for it. But, sure, I’ll fill up here a couple more times before I head back home,” said Linder, who was doing satellite work at area motels.
Jack Mont of Bentleyville stocked up on 29 gallons at GetGo in South Strabane Township – filling up his sport-utility vehicle and 15 gallons collected in containers for his tractor – because the prices were so low on Tuesday.
“Not a special trip into town, but I did bring my jugs with me. You can’t go wrong with fuel discounts and the already cheap prices,” Mont said.
The cheapest gas in the country is in Oklahoma at $1.46, while the most expensive in Hawaii at $2.63.