Mo. tallies lowest nationwide gas average

Missouri’s gas average dropped by over 7 cents during the past week to place the state at No. 1 on GasBuddy.com’s list of the lowest prices in the nation.

With its $1.70 per gallon average this morning, Missouri topped the list, followed by Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and South Carolina. California bottomed out the list with its $2.84 average.

Missouri’s average fell 7.6 cents during the week ended yesterday, representing a 12.8-cent decrease from a month ago and 24-cent drop from a year ago. The U.S. average, which was unchanged at $2, has decreased 4.2 cents during the past month and 28.2 cents during the past year, according to a news release.

This morning, the lowest gas price in Missouri was $1.49 per gallon at a filling station in Lee’s Summit. At $2.59 per gallon, the highest price was recorded at two stations - one each in Carthage and Cape Girardeau, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

Springfieldians could purchase gas for as low as $1.57 per gallon at the 2415 S. Campbell Ave. Signal station. Prices elsewhere in the Queen City ranged from $1.59 to $1.61 per gallon.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $36.87 per barrel as of 10:55 a.m., compared to a 52-week range of $35.35 to $65.61. Light sweet crude oil futures for February were trading at $36.86 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.