Ohio gas prices staying below $3 per gallon to start work week; state below national average

Prices at the gas pumps in Ohio at the start the new work week were well below the $3-per-gallon mark, according to a survey Monday.

A gallon of regular gas was averaging $2.94 in the survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That's 13 cents less than a week ago and 38 cents lower than last month at this time.

Ohio's average is lower than the national average, which was $3.04 Monday. That's 6 cents less than a week ago, and 30 cents less than this time last month.

AAA says it's typical for gas prices to drop during the last months of the year, but other factors have helped bring prices down. The auto club also attributes the falling gas prices to lower crude oil prices, an increase in U.S. refineries' crude oil supplies to make gasoline and a quiet East Coast hurricane season.

AAA expects gas prices to remain low through the end of the year.

The lowest average price in Ohio Monday was $2.87 in the Dayton and Toledo areas. The highest was $2.97 in the Cleveland area.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that in the Lower 48 states, San Francisco had the highest average price at $3.45 per gallon, while Memphis, Tennessee, had the lowest average at $2.73.

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Online:

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report: http://fuelgaugereport.aaa.com