Gas prices have fallen sharply in South Carolina over the past week, and at least one Beaufort County station is now selling gas for less than $3 a gallon.

The statewide average Monday was $3.22 a gallon, down from $3.36 a week before, according to Southcarolinagasprices.com. The national average also fell 10 cents to $3.56 a gallon.

In Bluffton, the cheapest gas can be found at the Shell station on U.S. 278 across from McDonald's, which charged $3 a gallon as of Monday morning, according to the price website.

In Beaufort, the Shell station at Trask Parkway and Salt Creek Drive, was selling a gallon of regular for $2.98 a gallon.

Nationally, the price of oil fell below $86 a barrel as Hurricane Sandy headed for the East Coast, where energy consumption was likely to drop as many businesses closed and transportation ground to a halt. Prices are expected to rise in the storm's immediate aftermath but resume their drop again into November, The Associated Press reports.