(The Center Square) – Despite a direct strike by Category 4 Hurricane Helene, gas prices in Florida are down 17 cents or 8.2% compared to the previous month.
According to the American Automobile Association, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday is $3.17, down from Aug. 30, when the price was $3.34. The national average price is $3.22 per gallon, down from $3.35 the same time last month (4.04% decrease) and $3.82 the same time last year (18.6% decrease). Monday’s price in Florida is 10.4% less than the same time last year, when a gallon of regular cost $3.50.
Helene made landfall on Thursday in Dekle Beach in Taylor County as the most powerful storm to hit the Big Bend region in recorded history. The storm had winds of 140 mph and surge flooding of 20 feet or more in some areas and record flooding in the Tampa Bay area despite a nondirect hit.
Prices in the hurricane-hit Big Bend region are mostly less than the statewide average, with Taylor County at $3.02 per gallon. Neighboring Dixie County is $3.03. Three storm-impacted counties – Lafayette at $3.18, Suwannee at $3.20 and Madison County at $3.27 – were above the state average.
The highest price was in Palm Beach County at $3.33 per gallon, while the lowest price was found in the Panhandle’s Okaloosa County, where it was $2.86. The metropolitan areas with the lowest prices are all in the Panhandle, led Crestview-Fort Walton Beach at $2.87 per gallon, followed by Panama City ($2.91) and Pensacola ($2.92). The highest price metro areas are led by West Palm Beach at $3.33 per gallon, followed by Naples ($3.23) and Homosassa Springs ($3.22).
Nationally, the lowest gas prices are in Mississippi at $2.68 per gallon, followed by Texas ($2.73), Louisiana ($2.75), Tennessee ($2.76) and Alabama ($2.78). The highest gas prices are in California at $4.692 per gallon, followed by Hawaii ($4.60), Washington ($4.05), Nevada ($3.93) and Oregon ($3.66).