Here are the top 10 cheapest Milwaukee-area gas prices for your Labor Day travels

Now's the time to prepare for a road trip to your favorite beach, state park or gathering spot for the long weekend, because Milwaukee-area gas prices are trending down in time for Labor Day travels.

Regular gas prices in the city and nearby areas peaked at an average of nearly $3.90 per gallon in mid-August and are now just under $3.70, according to user-reported data from GasBuddy.com.

The summer's lowest price was seen in mid-July when the average cost per gallon dipped just under $3.40.

The Milwaukee area's current average gas price is under AAA's national reported average of about $3.82 per gallon Tuesday, but it's over Wisconsin's average of about $3.59.

However, there are plenty of gas stations across the city where you can fill up for under the statewide average. Here are the top 10 cheapest gas prices reported by GasBuddy users as of Tuesday morning, Aug. 29. (Check here any time for the most updated prices).

Milwaukee area gas prices should fall in the next two weeks, expert says

Patrick De Haan, founder and head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said Milwaukeeans and Wisconsinites can expect gas prices to continue to trend down for the next two weeks. Drivers in the Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin can expect an even steeper drop after Sept. 16.

That day, "the metro-Milwaukee area goes from reformulated gasoline back to cheaper conventional winter gas," and, with that, prices can be expected to drop by 15-to-25 cents per gallon by mid-October, as long as factors like hurricanes and fires don't negatively affect our nation's oil refineries, De Haan said.

The statewide average should drop as we head into the fall as well, though not as steeply as in Milwaukee because other areas of the state don't have as stringent reformulated gasoline requirements, De Haan added.

As for Labor Day weekend travel, De Haan recommends drivers do their research and fill up before crossing state lines, especially if they're traveling south because the average gas price in Illinois is significantly more expensive at almost $4.10 per gallon.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where can I find the cheapest gas in Milwaukee?