Gas is still over $5 a gallon across most of the Columbia Basin. Pasco and Connell have some of the region's better deals, but the cheapest fill-ups are across the border in Idaho.
GasBuddy's lowest regular prices at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5: $5.13 at Circle K in Connell, $4.99 at Atomic Gas and MetroPetroleum in Pasco, $5.19 at Hawk Fuel in Othello, $4.83 at Chevron in Moses Lake, $5.19 at Maverik in Cheney and $5.39 in Colfax. Post Falls, Idaho, was $4.35 at Walmart.
Averages tell a broader story. AAA put the Richland-Kennewick-Pasco metro at $5.31 a gallon on Oct. 12, flat for the week but $1.04 higher than a year ago. Diesel there averaged $7.34.
Adams County averaged $5.37 and Grant County $5.40 on Oct. 12, according to AAA. The statewide average was $5.45, down 3 cents in a week and 11 cents in a month. The national average was $4.36.
Washington ranks third-highest in the nation behind California and Hawaii. Regular gas hit a state record of $5.79 on May 20, and diesel set a record of $7.47 on Sept. 23. A year ago, Washington drivers paid about $4.48.
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said the trend is "cautiously in the right direction," but warned that hurricane season and geopolitical uncertainty mean it's too early to call the pressure over.
Sources
- Columbia Basin Herald / Hagadone News Network (AAA data, Oct. 12)
- Stacker: Richland-Kennewick-Pasco gas prices (AAA data, Oct. 12)
- AAA Washington gas prices
- GasBuddy
- Ritzville Adams County Journal / Franklin Connection (Oct. 5 GasBuddy list)
