Gas prices up in Virginia, down nationwide as we head toward Fourth

Gas prices are down, on average, across the U.S., but motorists in Virginia are paying 4.5 cents per gallon more at the start of the work week.

GasBuddy reports today that the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.13 a gallon today, with the local average in Waynesboro at $3.20 a gallon.

The average in Albemarle County is $3.23 a gallon, and in Greene County, it’s $3.26 a gallon.

The national average at the start of the day on Monday was $3.14 a gallon.

Not sure what’s going on here, but prices in Virginia are usually in the area of 10 cents a gallon lower than the national average.

“The national average price of gasoline has resumed its decline, with falling prices driven by easing tensions in the Middle East, just weeks after those same tensions had pushed prices higher,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, who added that “as long as tensions in the Middle East remain contained and the U.S. avoids a major hurricane, we could see the national average fall below $3 per gallon later this summer.”