Gas prices dipped below $2 a gallon in Marshall County and are hovering just over $2 a gallon in the Morgantown area.
And those prices could fall even further in the coming weeks because of coronavirus fears.
GasBuddy.com, a phone app that tracks gas prices around the world, said Tuesday the cheapest pump prices in Monongalia County — $2.01 — could be found at Circle K stores on Earl L. Core Road, near Summer School Road, and on University Avenue, just outside Star City.
Not far behind was Sam’s Club in Granville at $2.02 a gallon, and the Circle K at 170 Holland Ave. The Sheetz at the intersection of Monongahela Boulevard and Boyers Avenue in Star City had a pump price of $2.07 a gallon.
Meanwhile in neighboring Preston County, the Circle K store on West Main Street in Kingwood had a pump price of $2.39 a gallon. The Circle K at the intersection of Morgantown Avenue and Lemley Street in Fairmont had $2.24 a gallon pump price.
Overall, West Virginia had an average pump price of $2.354 a gallon on Tuesday, down slightly from a week earlier, GasBuddy said. The national average price of a gallon of gas dropped 6.2 cents to $2.41 on fears of the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. To date, there have been no reports of the coronavirus in West Virginia or surrounding states.
Gasoline prices could go even lower in the coming weeks, GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan said. More than 3,000 U.S. gas stations reported gasoline prices below $2 a gallon.
Oklahoma had the lowest pump price at $2.082 a gallon followed by Mississippi at $2.088 a gallon and Texas at $2.094 a gallon, GasBuddy said. Meanwhile, the highest pump prices could be found in Hawaii at $3.487 a gallon. California was second at $3.469 a gallon and Washington third at $3.124 a gallon.
“As the spread of the coronavirus induces panic on markets, oil prices have been walloped and motorists should avoid filling up as the plummet in oil prices starts showing up at their local gas station in the days ahead,” said DeHaan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, said.
“Nearly every village, town and city in every state will see gas prices dropping — the pace may vary, of course — but over the next week gas prices will move lower solidly, barring any dramatic improvement in the spread of the virus.
“The drop in oil is little comfort to those who’ve been watching the stock market fall, but gas stations have plenty of room to drop prices. In some cases, nearly 25- to 35-cent drops over the next few weeks will happen. My advice for motorists is delay buying gasoline and expect noticeable drops for the time being as the world obsesses over the spread of COVID-19.”
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