Maine gas prices are among the lowest they have been for the month of April over the past decade.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Maine has fallen 2 cents to $1.83, according to the website GasBuddy. That’s down 42.4 cents from a month ago and 81.6 cents from a year ago.
It’s the lowest average gas price Maine has seen in early April going back at least 10 years, according to GasBuddy data.
Gas prices across the state range from a low of $1.33 a gallon to a high of $2.39.
Nationally, the average price for a gallon of gas stands at $1.83, down 7.2 cents from a week ago and about $1 from a year earlier, according to GasBuddy.
“As expected, and for the seventh straight week, the national average moved considerably lower, as well as gas prices in every state as retail prices continue to play catch up to the dramatic decline in market prices in recent weeks,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
Prices have been pushed down both by a decline in travel related to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced many people to shelter in their homes as businesses and schools close, and a month-long price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The nations on Sunday reached a deal to slash global output by 10 percent, according to the BBC. But the end of the conflict is not likely to have an immediate impact on travelers’ wallets.
“Establishing a floor on ultra-low oil prices will hopefully keep U.S. oil production online instead of bankrupting producers. … I expect prices to continue moderating for now, as gasoline demand appears to remain near 50-year lows,” DeHaan said.