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.