Gasoline prices across South Georgia dipped slightly over the past week.

VALDOSTA — Gasoline prices in South Georgia slipped slightly over the last week, mirroring state and national trends.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline Thursday in Valdosta was $3.32, down three cents from the previous week, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest price reported in the Azalea City Thursday was $3.12 per gallon at a store on Inner Perimeter Road; the lowest price in Tifton was $3.13 per gallon at a South Central Avenue retailer, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Valdosta was tied with Macon for the seventh-most expensive average gas price Thursday among the 15 Georgia markets monitored by the auto club: below Savannah, Hinesville, Gainesville, Brunswick, Atlanta and Athens but above Warner Robins, Rome, Dalton, Columbus, Catoosa, Augusta and Albany.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline was $3.51 per gallon, down three cents in seven days, while Georgia’s average of $3.37 per gallon was down two cents in the same period, AAA said.

“The arrival of summer used to signal the start of a robust driving season, but that has not been the case recently,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “We know that a record number of travelers were forecast to hit the highways for the July 4th holiday, but since then, they appear to be staying off the road, and the recent scorching heat is possibly to blame. Maybe things will pick up soon.” 

In Thursday’s market action, benchmark U.S. crude rose 61 cents to $83.46 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 42 cents to $85.50 a barrel.