It might seem like forever ago that the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States was below $4 a gallon, but it’s only been a few months. Now one of the nation’s leading gas experts predicts that prices could once again dip below $4 a gallon — at least in some states.

                By                    Vance Cariaga

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Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a July 6 tweet that “in the days and weeks ahead we’re going to see hundreds, nay, thousands of stations falling back under $4 per gallon.”

An hour-and-a-half later he offered this clarification in another tweet: “To clarify and set expectations — most of the stations that could fall to $3.99 or less will be in states like SC, GA, MS, LA, AR, TX, AL, TN, NC…”

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That would be welcome news not only to drivers in those states but also to those passing through. The current national average is $4.721 a gallon, according to AAA. That’s well down from $4.955 a month ago and nearly 30 cents cheaper than the all-time high of $5.016 set on June 14, 2022.

The national average first pushed above $4 a gallon in early March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

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Of course, in other states, it could be a long, long time before average gas prices dip below $4 a gallon. In California, for example, the average price is a whopping $6.145 a gallon. It’s the only state where the average exceeds $6, but several states have average prices above $5. These are mainly in the West: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The only other state with an average price above $5 a gallon is Illinois.

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