Gasoline prices in Minnesota are slipping below $2 per gallon and likely are headed even lower.
Some stations in the Twin Cities began selling regular gas for under $2 in recent days, although on average, metro-area gasoline sells at $2.08 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com, the crowdsourced website.
When Danny Ripka of Minneapolis pulled into a BP station at 36th Street and Lyndale Avenue South on Thursday, his car's amber low-fuel light was on. As he waited in line for an open pump, he watched one driver confront another motorist about jumping ahead.
They were waiting to buy gas at $1.93.
"That is ridiculous," said Ripka. "I can't remember the last time I saw it that low."
The average gasoline price has dropped 17 cents in the Twin Cities over the past week. Rochester's average price already has dropped below $2 per gallon, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
"There is a lot more room for prices to fall," said GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. "We are really in only the third inning of the decrease."
Unless a significant disruption happens in the commodities market, DeHaan said gasoline prices across Minnesota and the nation should be under $2 by Thanksgiving Day and drop 15 cents to 30 cents more by Christmas.