State gas average falls 11 cents

The Missouri gas average fell 11 cents during the past week to $3.33 per gallon yesterday.

Comparatively, the U.S. average dropped 4.5 cents to $3.54 per gallon, according to a GasBuddy.com news release.

Missouri prices yesterday represented a 7.4-cent decrease from a month ago and a 42.9-cent drop from a year ago. The U.S. average has decreased 2.7 cents during the past month and 31.6 cents during the past year.

"The national average has seen some downward direction in the last week, but the best is likely yet to come," GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said in the release. "While there certainly are a few issues that could impact gasoline prices on our plate, the switch-over back to winter gasoline has begun, and I do expect that gas prices may continue to move downward this week for most of the United States."

Missouri's weekly drop was enough to push the state into the top 10 on GasBuddy's list of the lowest prices in the U.S., ranking ninth this morning. The list was led by South Carolina, at $3.16 per gallon, and Hawaii ranked last, with an average of $4.19 per gallon.

As of 8:54 a.m., the lowest price for gas in Missouri was available for $3.04 per gallon at a filling station in southern St. Louis. At $3.69 per gallon, the highest price of gas was selling at a station in northern Kansas City, according to MissouriGasPrices.com.

The lowest Springfield price was available for $3.31 per gallon at Murphy USA, 3516 W. Sunshine St. Other stations ranged from $3.34 per gallon to $3.46 per gallon.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was trading at $108.21 per barrel as of 8:58 a.m., down from $110.53 per barrel a week ago. Light sweet crude oil futures for October were trading at $107.12 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.