Chattanooga area motorists enjoy cheapest gas in four years

photo At the Vicky Food Mart, Yolanda Sanford fills her car with a smile. "I'm glad gas prices are lower. It's affordable," Sanford said.

By the numbers• $2.81: Average U.S. price per gallon of gas on Monday, down 26 cents from a month ago and 46 cents cheaper than a year ago• $2.50: Average Chattanooga price per gallon of gas on Monday, down 20 cents from a month ago and 62 cents cheaper than a year ago• $2.39: Cheapest per gallon gas price in Chattanooga on Monday at Citgo on Wilcox Boulevard, Speedway on Lee Highway and Shell on Lee HighwaySources: AAA Fuel Gauge Survey, Gasbuddy.com

As a foster parent coordinator, Kennith Starnes typically drives his van from 300 to 600 miles a week.

Making those trips is anywhere from $10 to $20 cheaper this week than it was a year ago, thanks to the lowest gas prices in Chattanooga in more than four years.

"It's much better for people who travel a lot like me," Starnes said while waiting to fill his 18-gallon tank at Sam's Club in Brainerd. "I just hope it continues."

For the past six months, the trend downward has continued.

Gas prices in Chattanooga have fallen 20 cents a gallon in the past month and on Monday averaged 62 cents per gallon less than a year ago, according to price surveys by AAA. Gas prices are now the lowest since 2010 and some forecasters predict they could dip even lower in coming days.

The average price of a gallon of gas on Monday in Chattanooga was only $2.50 a gallon, according to AAA. Nationwide, AAA said gas prices averaged $2.81 a gallon.

Gas prices fell Monday to only $2.39 a gallon at a couple of gas stations in Ooltewah. GasBuddy.com counted 59 service stations in Chattanooga selling gas below $2.50 a gallon on Monday.

Frank McDonough, a sales representative a construction supply firm, is on the road nearly 500 miles a month and figures he is saving almost $30 every time he fills up his Ford 150 compared with a year ago.

"It's a big help if you drive a lot like I do," he said.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said the decline in gas continues a trend that has seen prices in the U.S. fall by 88 cents since May. Lundberg says lower crude oil prices are continuing to drive prices down, along with an abundant oil supply and the rising value of the U.S. dollar.

Although gas prices often rise before busy holiday travel periods, gas prices continued to decline on Monday in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"While many of us are convinced that gas prices automatically go up in advance of every travel holiday, our price tracking has proven that to be a widely-held misconception," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. "In some years we've seen occasions, particularly during the Thanksgiving and Christmas travel periods, when prices remained flat or even posted a decline."

In 2011 for example, the national average went from $3.32 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to $3.28 on the Monday immediately following.

"Given the inventory reported by the Department of Energy and the supply build following last week's snow storms, we anticipate that retail gas prices in most parts of the country will show another decline this week, even though millions of us will be driving for Thanksgiving," DeHaan said. "It may seem counter-intuitive, but it's been a very unusual year."

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 757-6340.

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