Gas prices tumble in area
Jun. 29—The price is still high, but Henderson County motorists can at lest rest in the knowledge that the cost of gas has dipped over the past week.
Average gasoline prices in Texas have fallen 12.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.52- per gallon on Monday, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 29.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.73 higher than a year ago.
"With Independence Day a week away, gas prices have continued to fall for the second straight week as the price of oil has faltered, ushering in the drop we're seeing. The good news is we could also see a third straight week of decline," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
Henderson County's average for a gallon of regular unleaded on Monday was 4.67, higher than any of the surrounding counties.
Athens had a price as low as $4.54 at the Murphy USA on East Tyler Street. Other prices included $4.58 at Brookshire's on East Tyler and $4.58 at the CEFCO. The Shell on East Tyler was posting $4.63.
The falling prices are a relief to those heading out of town for Independence Day, but the trend may not continue. Several factors can play a part in bringing the costs back up to the record June 15 high.
"While prices will be at their highest July 4th level ever, they'll have fallen close to 20 cents since our peak in early June," DeHaan said. "Motorists should be wary that while the decline could continue for the week ahead, any sudden jolts to supply could quickly cause a turnaround, and risk remains that when the peak of hurricane season arrives, we could see a super spike at the pump."
The prices were recorded for area counties on Monday:
—Anderson, $4.549
—Cherokee, $4.537
—Ellis, $4.613
—Kaufman, $4.689
—Navarro, $4.638
—Van Zandt, $4.640
