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Gas Prices Slowly Dropping Around The Twin Cities

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Just in time for our last-minute summer road trips, it appears Minnesota gas prices have started to drop. In fact, they've fallen more than 10 cents in the last week.

Some gas stations in areas around the Twin Cities are seeing prices as low as $3.33 a gallon. So where does this compare to the past and will they inevitably go back up?

Officials said prices are actually down about 20 cents from this time last year. Petroleum analysts and AAA have long speculated about why number go down and it a mixture of factors like driving habits and issues with petroleum production.

Right now, experts said across the Twin Cities and beyond the average price is about $3.45 per gallon. That's 12 cents less than a week ago. We are also 13 cents below the national average.

Some of the cheapest areas around us include gas stations in the cities of Maple Grove, Bloomington and Eagan, where you can find prices as low as $3.33 to $3.34 per gallon. For people who drive for a living, this is a big deal. But others said when there's a dip like this, it usually comes with a hike in the near future.

"It makes a big difference for me. I drive for a living and save $2 a day," said Bekabil Tolassa.

"I fill my truck once a week to drive to Woodbury. It will go up 10 cents probably next week so what's the difference," said Spencer Evans.

Analysts said the potential for hurricanes near oil production sites in the late summer may lead to another hike in gas prices. But what about long-term prices?

If all goes well with the weather in the hurricane zones, officials said we could see up to another 15 cent decrease by the middle of September.

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