Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana gas prices have now dropped 10 weeks in a row. Patrick De Haan is the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy and he provided the current numbers.             

“Average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 5.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.21 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “Prices in Montana are 18.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 78.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.”                               

As of Monday morning, many stations in Missoula had their prices set to around $3.19 per gallon.      

      

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced at $3.06 per gallon yesterday while the most expensive was $3.99 per gallon.                       

Montana is currently ranked 18th in the U.S. when it comes to the average price of gas, which is three spots lower than last week.             

“The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.13 per gallon today,” De Haan said. “The national average is down 11.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 56.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel is unchanged from a week ago and stands at $3.54 per gallon.”           

READ MORE: Montana Gas Prices are the Lowest They've Been in 6 Months

While the national average dipped slightly in the last week, De Haan said Iran's attack on Israel has at least temporarily caused oil prices to surge to the highest level in months, which could cause the declines to cease for now and could lead to a rise in gas prices for many Americans. 

"In addition to the escalation in the Middle East, hurricane season remains active, with Hurricane Milton now heading toward a likely landfall in Florida,” De Haan said. “As a result of potential evacuations, GasBuddy's Fuel Availability tracker will remain online for areas likely to be affected by Milton. For now, motorists in most areas can expect to see more increases in gas prices primarily due to tensions in the Middle East, but I remain hopeful that a $2.99 national average remains possible this fall." 

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli