Gas Prices Plunge, Creating $1.50 Gap Between Highest And Lowest

A few Southern California gas stations are once again charging less than $3 a gallon after a huge drop in wholesale prices, but now there is a large gap between the highest-priced and lowest-priced gas stations, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $3.316 a gallon for regular today, 9.8 cents less than last week.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.373 per gallon, which is 11 cents less than last week, 47 cents more than last month, and 67 cents lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.347, which is 10.7 cents less than last week, 47 cents higher than last month, and 66 cents lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.364, 11.5 cents less than last week, 47 cents higher than a month ago, and 68 cents less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $3.353, down 9.9 cents from last week, 49 cents more than last month, and 65 cents less than last year.

“A big contributor to dropping gas prices is reportedly foreign imports of California-blend gasoline from Canada and South Korea, which were prompted by our state prices reaching the highest levels in the U.S.,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “The imports have had a dramatic effect on wholesale prices, but some Southern California gas stations are still charging over $4 and even over $4.50 a gallon today, while others are already $2.99 or less. We urge motorists to shop around to pay as close to $3 a gallon as possible. AAA’s free app shows the lowest-priced gas station to you right on the home screen.”

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on March 19, averages are: