Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NASHVILLE — Tennessee gas prices experienced fluctuations last week, rising to $2.80 before falling back to $2.76 over the weekend, the same price as one week ago. The state’s average gas price is now $2.76, 18 cents less than a month ago and 56 cents less than this time last year.

“We’ve seen some fluctuation in our state gas prices over the last two weeks, but the silver lining is that Tennessee has the fourth least expensive state gas price average in the country,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “It’s likely that we’ll continue to see fluctuations in gas prices across the state this week.”

Impact of Hurricane Helene

As a result of the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in eastern Tennessee, some areas may experience temporary gasoline shortages. Flooding, power outages, and road closures are making fuel deliveries difficult, affecting access to gasoline in several counties.

Cooper stressed that these outages are temporary. “Gas stations are not connected to an underground pipeline. Once their tanks are empty, they wait for the next delivery. The bottom line is, don’t panic about gasoline supplies, just take what you need,” she added.

National Gas Prices and Oil Market

Nationally, the average price for a gallon of gas rose by a penny to $3.21, although pump prices have generally been sliding. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased from 8.77 million barrels per day (b/d) to 9.20 million, while domestic gasoline stocks dropped slightly. Oil prices also fell, with WTI closing at $69.69 per barrel.

Tennessee Regional Prices

Most expensive metro markets:

• Nashville ($2.80)
• Jackson ($2.79)
• Memphis ($2.78)

Least expensive metro markets:

• Morristown ($2.69)
• Kingsport ($2.70)
• Clarksville ($2.70)