Aug. 22 (UPI) — Gas prices ticked down on Monday as the slide in prices at the pump began another week.
The national average on Monday was $3.90, down slightly from Sunday, according to AAA. Utah’s average price came in at $4.33 per gallon, 43 cents higher than the national average.
On the national level, the average is down more than 5 cents over the past week and about 51 cents over the past month.
While prices have been falling since peaking at a record high $5.02 in mid-June, experts say one factor to watch over the coming month is the weather.
“Drivers are now benefiting from gas prices that are $1.11 less than their peak in mid-June,” AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said in a statement. “But now we need to keep an eye on the weather as hurricane season arrives.
“These storms can affect prices by disrupting oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and impacting large coastal refineries.”
So far this year, there have been three named storms — significantly fewer than experts predicted. They were Alex, Bonnie and Colin. Only Bonnie strengthened into a hurricane.
There was one tropical disturbance in the Atlantic basin on Monday, well off the coast of Africa. The National Hurricane Center said it has a 20% chance of cyclone formation over the next five days.
Arkansas reported the least expensive gasoline, at $3.40 per gallon, followed by Mississippi ($3.42) and Georgia ($3.43).
California has the most expensive gas, at $5.32, and prices in Hawaii are also still above $5.
