Amid record holiday travel forecast, Rock Hill area gas prices keep dropping.
As perhaps a record number of drivers head out on South Carolina roads this Christmas, gas prices continue to drop.
AAA Carolinas tracks national, state and metro area gas prices daily. As of Dec. 17, South Carolina had the second lowest per gallon gas prices in the country. The Rock Hill metro area had prices even lower.
Both have dropped since.
“Motorists are getting a gift this holiday in the form of relief at the pump,” said Tiffany Wright, AAA Carolinas spokesperson. “This may be a factor in the boost of travelers choosing to drive this year.”
AAA Carolinas estimates 1.5 million South Carolina residents will travel this holiday season by car, plane, train or other means between Dec. 22 and Jan. 1. Across both Carolinas, the nonprofit estimates a 4.4 percent increase in holiday travel this year compared to last year. Most of those trips will driven on roads.
Of the 4.7 million trips expected by North and South Carolina residents, 4.25 million will be car travel.
The $2.03 average gas price in South Carolina a week before Christmas was the lowest since August 2017 and the cheapest December gas price in two years. Rock Hill had gas averaging $1.98 a gallon, joining Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg with gas below the $2 a gallon mark. That Rock Hill price was down 28 cents in a month.
As of Christmas Eve, the average South Carolina price was down to $1.98 a gallon. Only Missouri had cheaper gas nationally.
York County averaged gas at $1.92 a gallon. In the Rock Hill area, gas averaged $1.94 a gallon. That price is 22 cents cheaper than it was a year ago.
Several online sites advertise gas prices at specific filling stations. The site gasbuddy.com listed at least 10 Rock Hill gas stations Monday morning with prices at 1.85 per gallon or lower. The cheapest was $1.78 a gallon.
Weather
No snow, no rain … just a quiet Christmas, weather-wise, for the Rock Hill area.
High pressure will dominate the Southeast for the next few days, producing mostly clear skies and temperatures around average for this time of year.
Things will change for the worse later in the week, when another in a series of rain-producing storm systems sweeps across the region. Sunshine is forecast the next three days, with high temperatures in the low 50s. If you’re headed out to church services on Christmas Eve, temperatures will be in the 40s – right around average for Christmas.
By late Wednesday, the next low pressure system will be approaching from the west. Rain is expected to cover the area Thursday afternoon and evening, and it could be heavy at times. Rain is predicted to continue into Friday evening, with a few left-over showers possible Saturday and Sunday.