Gasoline prices fall nearly 20 cents over past week

As of Monday morning, gas prices at some Wichita-area gas stations have fallen 18 cents a gallon over the past week, to average $2.19 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com.

GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan attributed the plunge to falling oil prices after a brief spike earlier in the month.

Including the change in gas prices in Wichita during the past week, prices Sunday were 71.0 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 13.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has decreased 3.7 cents per gallon during the past month and stands 84.5 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.

"Nearly a quarter of the nation's gasoline stations are currently selling under $2 per gallon, and that number will likely grow in the months ahead as refiners continue to finish maintenance and resume producing gasoline at a time when demand is low, contributing downward pressure to gasoline prices," DeHaan said.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Gasoline prices fall nearly 20 cents over past week."