State gas prices plummet to the lowest level in months

From staff and wire reports

Two months after Hurricane Katrina-related disruptions sent Missouri's gasoline prices into the stratosphere, fuel costs in some places are pushing below $2 a gallon.

According to AAA Auto Club, the average price of regular gas in Missouri's five metropolitan areas on Monday was $2.09 per gallon. That was 32 percent below the $3.08 per gallon high point registered in the week of Sept. 4.

In the Cape Girardeau area Monday, prices hadn't quite dropped below $2 a gallon either. The prices ranged from $2.03 at Basic Fuel and Cash Only to $2.19 at D-Mart near Interstate 55. The price at Amerimart on North Kingshighway was $2.19. At D-Mart in Fruitland and Rhodes 101 stores in Cape Girardeau, it was $2.09.

"I'm glad to see it," said Jim Maurer of Rhodes 101. "I hope it gets down."

But when -- or even if -- it gets below $2 a gallon would just be a guess, Maurer said.

"But we're not seeing prices inflated because of Katrina anymore," he said. "It's based on crude prices. If those keep going down, then the price will keep going down."