South Dakota gas prices remain 11 cents above the national average as summer begins and average prices are slightly more in Mitchell than in Rapid City or Sioux Falls.
Thursday's state average for a gallon of unleaded fuel was reported at $3.584, while the national average price was $3.472 per gallon, the lowest average since early April.
The Daily Republic observed unleaded gas prices at 12 gas stations Thursday in Mitchell. The average price among the 12 stations was $3.628.
The average price for regular unleaded Thursday was $3.551 per gallon in Rapid City and $3.595 in Sioux Falls.
Regular unleaded gas was priced as low as $3.57 at some Mitchell stations and as high as $3.73 at stations near Interstate 90.
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AAA South Dakota spokeswoman Marilyn Buskohl said prices may continue to bounce through the summer, but no long-term price increases are expected.
She had no explanation for the higher prices in Mitchell compared to the rest of the state.
Nationally, the average price has dropped for 63 of the last 65 days, according to AAA.
Buskohl said the lowest prices in the state are in North Sioux City at $3.35 for a gallon of unleaded fuel. The most expensive gallon of gas is located in Keystone near Mount Rushmore at $3.99.
The National Association of Convenience Stores has identified June as the month with the highest annual gasoline demand of the year, 9.278 million barrels per day.
A potentially good sign for lower gas prices came Thursday via the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude oil futures dipped to their lowest level since October 2011, falling below the $80 mark, which some analysts see as an important threshold.
