LAS VEGAS - Nevada drivers are experiencing relief at the pump, as gas prices continue their journey downward for the fourth consecutive week, according to the latest AAA Nevada monthly gas survey.
The average price in Nevada for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.74 a gallon, a decrease of 9 cents from the last AAA gas price release of March 12. Last month the average price in Nevada was $3.83 per gallon. The only exception is the metro area of Elko, where residents are paying $3.74 a gallon, an increase of 12 cents from last month's prices.
A survey of 13 gas stations in Winnemucca Wednesday afternoon found a low $3.69 a gallon and a high of $3.86 a gallon. The average price of gas in town was $3.74, up 6 cents from last month's average and a 12-cent decrease from the April 2012 average.
"The recent decline has been a product of lower crude oil prices and a now completed switch over to summer-blend gasoline,"said Cynthia Harris, AAA Nevada spokesperson. "Declining retail gas prices have been the result of an increase in refinery production and economic concerns, which have created less of a demand among consumers."
The highest gas price of the Nevada metro areas tracked by AAA is in Sparks. The average price in that metro area is $3.87 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Carson City has the Silver State's lowest pump price found in metro areas tracked by AAA. Drivers in Carson City are paying an average price of $3.69. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.58. That's 12 cents less than the average price one year ago.
Retail gas prices across the country surged at the start of 2013, as the national average increased 49 cents through the end of February. This was the largest increase on record for the first two months of a year. The run up was only somewhat attributed to higher crude oil prices and was instead driven by a decline in refinery production and higher gasoline futures prices.
The least expensive gasoline in the country is found in the Casper, Wyo., metro area. The average price of gas in that metro area is $3.35. Wailuku, Hawaii, holds the dubious crown for the highest average price in the nation, at $4.39 per gallon.
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