As many as 20 states could have average gasoline prices below $2 per gallon by Christmas as the national average for December slips to $1.98, according to GasBuddy, a national company that compiles data on gas prices and provides analysis.

“We’re confident that our projections give consumers more than accuracy; we think they’ll help them identify some savings that should come in handy at Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, in a news release.

“It’s interesting to remember that last year the national average shed more than $1.27 from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31 when the U.S. average was $2.24,” DeHaan pointed out. “This year, if we see just half of that decline it will bring us to below $2 per gallon.”

Maine is not one of the states projected to see prices below $2, but it should benefit from the continuing decline.

Contributing to the positive forecast are regional, national and global supply and demand fundamentals that continue to place more downward pressure on crude oil prices than upward pressure. That trend is expected to continue well into 2016.

“As motorists wrap up their summer vacation road trips, demand for gasoline slips in autumn and winter. At the same time, refining margins are strong and with the switch to cheaper winter grade gasoline in the coming month, ample supply of discounted gasoline will be available to motorists. It’s the perfect recipe for savings at the pump till the end of the year,” said Will Speer, another senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.


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