Motorists have received a measure of relief at the gas pump for two straight weeks, with prices in metro Atlanta dropping as much as 15 cents since peaking at $3.87 a gallon earlier this month.
The good news? Prices should drop even further. The bad? Not for long.
In a spring that's already seen prices higher than $4 a gallon, the worst is likely not over, fuel experts say.
"While it’s very likely retail gas prices will retreat further this week, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen the peak price for 2012," said Jessica Brady, a spokeswoman for AAA, The Auto Club Group.
Gas prices could climb again in May or June depending on an array of factors that affect the world supply of oil. The y include weather -- namely, the hurricane season -- and a May 23rd meeting between Iran and the United Nations, she said. Iranian oil is a bargaining chip in attempts by the U.S. and European nations to corral Iran's nuclear program.
Monday morning’s average of $3.72 a gallon is 9.5 cents cheaper than one week ago, according to Atlantagasprices.com, a website that tracks how much Atlantans pay for gas. Statewide, prices are hovering at $3.76 per gallon, down from $3.83 a week ago, according to AAA.
Analysts say declining demand from U.S. drivers contributed to the price drop. That tracks with a recent upsurge in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits -- people who are no longer making the daily commute to work -- Brady said.
The cheapest gas in metro Atlanta early Monday was $3.57 a gallon, recorded at several stations in Suwanee and Stone Mountain. Stations in Buford, Smyrna and Austell were charging $3.59, Atlantagasprices.com reported. The priciest gas reported Monday was $4.19 a gallon at a Chevron station on Cobb Parkway in Marietta.
Sherri Caldwell, an author and mother of three, is grateful for any respite. Her family moved to Midtown six years ago to avoid driving, but must commute to Sandy Springs to take her son to a school for children with special needs. The high cost of gas is one reason she and her husband are planning to move him to a school closer to home, she said.
"We’re up and down [Ga. 400] every day ... it really makes an impact," she said. Recently, she said, she paid $4.09 a gallon to fill her Chevy Tahoe -- to the tune of about $90.
Caldwell, who said she suspects that fuel prices are tied to politics, isn't holding her breath for sustained lower prices. "I don't count on it ever going below $3 again."
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