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Gas prices in Boise area drop over past week, but that trend may end soon

After dropping for several weeks from its peak during the summer, U.S. and Idaho statewide gas price averages have ticked up in recent days.

BOISE, Idaho — Gas prices have, for several weeks, been dropping from this summer's record-high prices, but data from the past week suggest the slide may not continue much longer.

Both AAA and GasBuddy reported Monday, Sept. 26, that the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded has dropped a few cents compared to a week ago, Sept. 19: AAA reports a decrease of 4.3 cents during that time frame for the Boise metro area; GasBuddy reports a decrease of 6.2 cents in Boise.

However, the nationwide and Idaho statewide averages both held steady or increased from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26.

"One of the longest gas price declines on record has finally come to an end after 14 weeks, with gas prices shooting up in several regions amidst myriad refinery issues from the West Coast to the Great Lakes and in between," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said.

AAA reports Idaho's current statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded is $4.416; it was $4.409 a week earlier. GasBuddy reports the statewide average was unchanged over the past week at $4.38.

The nationwide average for regular unleaded on Sept. 26 rose by a few cents per gallon over the past week: from $3.677 to $3.725 according to AAA, and from about $3.64 to $3.67 according to GasBuddy, which compiles price reports from more than 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Prices remain significantly higher than a year ago.

"I don't know that I've ever seen a wider gamut of price behaviors coast to coast in my career. A slew of unexpected refinery disruptions, including fires and routine maintenance, have seemingly all happened in a short span of time, causing wholesale gas prices to spike in areas of the West Coast, Great Lakes and Plains states - and some of those areas could see prices spike another 25-75 cents per gallon or more until issues are worked out," De Haan said. 

"In addition, as Tropical Storm Ian nears the U.S. coast, some refiners could see limited disruption. As a precaution, GasBuddy has activated its Fuel Availability Tracker for motorists in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Hopefully, disruptions will be very limited due to Ian, but there remain many factors driving prices both up and down across the country."

The cheapest station in Boise was sitting at $4.16 per gallon, while the most expensive station was $4.59, according to GasBuddy price reports, a difference of 43 cents per gallon. 

In Idaho, the lowest cost of gas was $3.94 per gallon, and the highest was $4.99 — a difference of $1.05 per gallon.

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices:

Utah- $4.14/g, down 8.0 cents per gallon from the previous week.

Oregon- $4.87/g, up 24.1 cents per gallon from the previous week.

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