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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Gas prices may be rising again nationwide, but Huntsville saw another week of falling prices.

A gallon of gas averaged $3.19 across the Rocket City, down 4.2 cents over last week, according to GasBuddy. Prices stand 25.3 cents per gallon lower than the same time in August, but 35.5 cents per gallon higher than the same time in 2021.

Prices varied wildly across the city; the cheapest station was charging $2.95/gallon Sunday, while the most expensive was charging $3.69/gallon, a difference of 74 cents.

These prices are about average for the state; the cheapest station in Alabama was charging $2.82/gallon Sunday, with the most expensive in Alabama charging $3.89/gallon – a difference of $1.07.

Prices also bucked the national trend and fell across the region:

  • Birmingham: $3.16/gallon, down 3.2 cents from last week
  • Chattanooga: $3.05/gallon, down 9.2 cents from last week
  • Tennessee: $3.14/gallon, down 5.5 cents from last week

At the national level, prices rose slightly, now averaging $3.67/gallon. This is up 3.2 cents over last week, down 17.5 cents from the same time in August, but 49.3 cents higher than the same time in 2021. There was some good news on the diesel front. Prices fell 5.1 cents nationwide to a new national average of $4.88/gallon.

With Hurricane Ian heading for Florida’s Gulf Coast, GasBuddy’s analyst said issues could start causing prices to rise across the Tennessee Valley.

“One of the longest gas price declines on record has finally come to an end after 14 weeks, with gas prices shooting up in several regions amidst myriad refinery issues from the West Coast to the Great Lakes and in between,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a wider gamut of price behaviors coast to coast in my career. A slew of unexpected refinery disruptions, including fires and routine maintenance, have seemingly all happened in a short span of time, causing wholesale gas prices to spike in areas of the West Coast, Great Lakes and Plains states – and some of those areas could see prices spike another 25-75 cents per gallon or more until issues are worked out. In addition, as Tropical Storm Ian nears the U.S. coast, some refiners could see limited disruption. As a precaution, GasBuddy has activated its Fuel Availability Tracker for motorists in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Hopefully, disruptions will be very limited due to Ian, but there remain many factors driving prices both up and down across the country.”

Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis