Solar eclipse boosts gas sales, but prices still drop nearly 3 cents a gallon

Today's solar eclipse is boosting gasoline sales as motorists flock to the path of where the sun will be blocked out today.

But fortunately for travelers, gas stations are gearing up for the influx of travelers and, even with the stronger demand, there seems to be little evidence of any price gouging. In fact, fuel prices dropped slightly in the past week for the first time in a month in Chattanooga.

Average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga fell 2.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.04 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga.

Local prices at the pump are still up 5.7 cents from a month ago and are nearly 20 cents a gallon above where they were a year ago.

But filling up in Chattanooga with regular gas, even with thousands of extra motorists traveling on the roads to see today's solar eclipse is still 28 cents per gallon below the U.S. average.

Chattanooga ranks among the 25 lowest priced metro areas for gasoline prices in the United States, GasBuddy.com reported. Cleveland, Tenn., which is closer to the area of eclipse totality today than Chattanooga, is even cheaper with the average price of regular gas priced at just $2.01 per gallon - the seventh cheapest metro area in the entire country and the lowest priced city for gas in Tennessee.

"While the sun may be fading away briefly today, the sun is certainly not setting on the impressive demand for gasoline we've seen thus far this summer," Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said in a report released today. "There has been nearly insatiable demand for gasoline ahead of today's eclipse. So much so that some motorists in rural eclipse viewing areas may find filling their tanks more challenging as stations struggle to keep fuel in their underground tanks. But the good news is that the bulk of the motoring public is seeing gas prices drift lower as oil prices have slipped."

Major gas retailers say they are prepared for the rise in travel because of the eclipse.

Mark Romano, senior vice president of operations at Pilot Flying J, said the Knoxville-based chain of travel centers is treating today like a major summer holiday.

"We are approaching the Solar Eclipse the same as we would one of our busiest holidays – similar to a Fourth of July or even a Memorial Day weekend," he said.

Kealey Dorian, supervisor of media with Love's, said in a statement that people traveling to the path of where the sun will temporarily be blocked out by the moon today is extending the traditionally busy summer season.

"The eclipse means traffic will remain busy for another week or two, which means we will continue to work with our vendors to make sure we're stocked on popular items travelers purchase, like bottled waters, energy drinks, chips, snacks, roller grill items, food items for the restaurants and more," Dorian said in an emailed statement.

DeHaan said while gas demand may be high for a few days because of the eclipse, "there won't be any long term impact on gas prices. Short term events generally are irrelevant to gas prices, unless it's a catastrophic event such as a hurricane."