How low can they go? Gas prices continue to fall in Fresno, Valley
Gasoline prices in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley continue a seasonal free fall after they peaked in mid-October, with the average retail price of regular unleaded gasoline in Fresno on Friday sitting at $3.67 per gallon, about nine cents lower than a week ago.
The price drop was even more in other Valley cities – about 12 cents per gallon in Hanford and Madera, and about 10 cents per gallon in Merced and Visalia. Across the Valley, regular unleaded is selling for an average of about 45 cents less per gallon than when prices peaked the week of Oct. 21, according to AAA Gas Prices.
For a 12-gallon fill-up, that translates to saving a driver $1.20 compared to a week ago, or $5.40 less than seven weeks ago.
California’s statewide average price on Friday was $3.73 per gallon. But a combination of the state’s gasoline taxes and requirements for California-specific cleaner blends of fuel mean that prices about $1.15 per gallon higher than the national average of $2.59 per gallon.
In Fresno and Clovis, the cheapest cash price for regular unleaded gasoline reported by GasBuddy.com was $3.25 per gallon at several locations: A 76 station at Herndon Avenue and Highway 99 in northwest Fresno; the Costco store on West Shaw Avenue in northwest Fresno; Costco on North Blackstone Avenue in north Fresno; and Costco on Clovis Avenue just south of Shaw Avenue in Clovis.
Several stations in Lemoore, in Kings County, were selling gasoline for under $3 per gallon, the cheapest of which was a Fastrip store at Cinnamon Drive and 18th Avenue where the price Friday was $2.55 per gallon.
Nationwide, prices have fallen for four straight weeks according to GasBuddy.com. AAA Gas Prices reported that gasoline inventories nationwide have grown, while demand for fuel by drivers fell over the past week.
A GasBuddy.com analysis indicated that gasoline prices typically fall in December as refineries increase their production following maintenance periods and inclement weather drives demand lower.
