Gas prices continue to drop, bucking seasonal norm, analyst says

Gas prices “have no where to go but down and like a rock” at a time of year they’re usually going up, an industry analyst said.

“It’s been an unprecedented week, one in which oil majors Russia and Saudi Arabia saw anything but eye-to-eye on lowering oil production, leading crude oil prices to plummet 20% in Sunday evening trade, combined with covid-19 fears escalating,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

“For motorists, I urge them to be in absolutely no hurry to fill up as gas prices will drop in nearly every nook and cranny of the country, from the smallest cities to the largest metros, at a time of year that prices are usually rising, we’ll see anything but that,” he said. “The national average came into March like a lamb and will likely be leaving as a lion, with prices roaring lower.”

In the past week in the Pittsburgh area, gas prices fell 6.7 cents per gallon to an average of $2.55, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. That’s 12.2 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and 11.8 cents per gallon less than a year ago.

The national average is down 6.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.36. That’s 5.9 cents per gallon less than a month ago, and 12.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices:

• Akron — $2.12, down 8.2 cents per gallon from last week.

• Cleveland — $2.22, down 10.6 cents per gallon from last week.

• West Virginia — $2.27, down 6.8 cents per gallon from last week.