Columbus gas prices on the decline heading into holiday weekend
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Reduced tensions in the Middle East is once again the focus of the ebb and flow of area gas prices, and it comes just in time for holiday travel.
According to GasBuddy’s survey of 500 stations in and around Columbus, Ohio, gas prices have fallen 14.3 cents in the last week to average out at $3.04 per gallon. The current price is still 10.4 cents higher from four weeks ago but remains 54.5 cents lower than this time one year ago.
The cheapest gas station in the Columbus area was priced at $2.45 a gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $3.45, a difference of 100 cents per gallon. In Ohio, the average price of gas also dropped by 17.7 cents from $3.15 per gallon to $2.97 per gallon.
Nationally, gas prices fell by 3.8 cents per gallon to reach $3.14. The price of diesel took an opposite turn, rising 2.7 cents, settling in at $3.67 per gallon.
While the conflict in the Middle East could potentially cause prices to increase if circumstances change in the coming days, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan says that the Independence Day gasoline forecast looks promising for would-be travelers over the next several days and possibly beyond.
"For motorists planning to hit the road for Independence Day, gas prices are expected to continue falling nearly coast to coast in the lead-up to July 4,” De Haan said. “Relief could expand as the holiday weekend approaches, with the national average on track to hit its lowest July 4 level since 2021 at $3.15 per gallon, we project. As long as tensions in the Middle East remain contained and the U.S. avoids a major hurricane, we could see the national average fall below $3 per gallon later this summer."