There's still painful at the pump but gas prices are coming down say officials at GasBuddy. They say average gas prices are down 4.1 cents per gallon over the last week selling for an average of $4.54 a gallon. Prices in Yakima are 38.8 cents per gallon lower than last month and 74.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 6.3 cents in the last week and stands at $4.97 per gallon.

Is it worth the drive to the lower valley?

The cheapest gas in the Yakima valley can be found in Wolfden in Wapato selling for an average of $3.97 per gallon.
The lowest price in the state is $3.89 per gallon while the highest is $5.79 per gallon.
On the national side the average price of gasoline has fallen 5.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.86 per gallon today.

Some good news for the future but it depends on the weather

“While some areas saw gas prices rise slightly last week, the national average saw yet another weekly decline, extending the streak to ten straight weeks. The pace of declines is certainly slowing down as oil prices have bounced up slightly, but the West Coast and Northeastern U.S. are areas that still may see gas prices decline, while the South and Midwest see the drop fade and potentially slight increases," says Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "In addition to falling gasoline prices, the average price of diesel has fallen below $5 per gallon for the first time since March, likely helping to cool off aggressive inflation numbers. Thus far, Mother Nature has spared us from disruptions from hurricanes, but that remains a wildcard as we head into the peak of hurricane season."

Historical gasoline prices in Yakima and the national average going back ten years:
August 22, 2021: $3.80/g (U.S. Average: $3.14/g)
August 22, 2020: $2.67/g (U.S. Average: $2.18/g)
August 22, 2019: $3.05/g (U.S. Average: $2.60/g)
August 22, 2018: $3.30/g (U.S. Average: $2.82/g)
August 22, 2017: $2.82/g (U.S. Average: $2.34/g)
August 22, 2016: $2.52/g (U.S. Average: $2.17/g)
August 22, 2015: $2.98/g (U.S. Average: $2.62/g)
August 22, 2014: $3.86/g (U.S. Average: $3.43/g)
August 22, 2013: $3.69/g (U.S. Average: $3.52/g)
August 22, 2012: $3.89/g (U.S. Average: $3.71/g)

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices:
Tacoma- $4.59/g, unchanged  from last week's $4.59/g.
Seattle- $4.91/g, down 2.5 cents per gallon from last week's $4.94/g.
Washington- $4.71/g, down 1.7 cents per gallon from last week's $4.73/g.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

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