Lower gas prices spur North Carolina motorists at Christmas

While more than two-thirds of US stations are selling gas for less than $2 per gallon, none of them are in California. However, Chicago’s average isn’t that low.

Prices fell 0.7 cents a gallon, comparing with the national average that has fallen 1.6 cents per gallon in the last week to $1.99 a gallon. During that span of 80 months, prices averaged about $3.12 a gallon and reached as high as $3.98 in May 2011.

In 2011, the national average reached a high of $3.23 per gallon, but that’s not the same story this year, DeHaan said, or even higher in 2013 by three cents at $3.26.

Lincoln – $2.10 per gallon, down 1.2 cents per gallon from last week’s $2.11 per gallon.

GasBuddy.com expert Patrick DeHaan says the drop is due to another nosedive in the cost of crude oil, adding he wouldn’t be surprised if prices continue to fall. This year’s crash in oil prices has brought down the price of gasoline as well.

“Drivers across the country are celebrating the historic return of cheaper gas prices”, said Marshall Doney, AAA’s President and CEO.

There’s a holiday gift for you at the gas pump.

Here are the average gas prices in the Charlotte region, which includes Gastonia and Rock Hill, in the Carolinas and in the U.S. Its live ticking average on Monday morning was $1.995, 8.8 cents cheaper than a month ago.

Oil prices have dropped roughly $72 per barrel since the summer of 2014.

Seasonal patterns are also a factor, with gas prices generally falling through early winter as driving and fuel use decline, according to AAA.

In other areas around the state, the average price in Toledo is $1.79.