Gas

VALDOSTA — Gasoline prices in Lowndes County slipped a tiny bit over the course of a week, beating both state and national trends.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Valdosta Tuesday was $3.19, down two cents from $3.21 a week before, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest price reported in the city Tuesday was $2.98 per gallon at a West Hill Avenue store, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Valdosta had the seventh-highest average gasoline price Tuesday among the 15 Georgia market the auto club monitors — below Savannah, Macon, Hinesville, Brunswick, Augusta and Atlanta but above Warner Robins, Rome, Gainesville, Dalton, Columbus, Catoosa, Athens and Albany.

Nationally, the average price for gasoline Tuesday was $3.44 per gallon, unchanged over seven days. Georgia’s average price of $3.22 per gallon was also unchanged over the same period, AAA said.

“We may be seeing a return to seasonal trends in demand with warmer weather and longer days,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson, “But waffling oil prices could mitigate any increase at the pump for now.”

In Tuesday’s market action, benchmark U.S. crude lost 2 cents to $72.79 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $3.55 to $72.81 per barrel on Monday.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 21 cents to $77.91 a barrel.