Gas continues to drop in South Carolina, still over $2 in Beaufort County

Gas prices across South Carolina continued to fall below $2 last week, but Lowcountry drivers would be hard-pressed to find the cheap fuel at Beaufort County stations, according to gas price-monitoring site GasBuddy.

The average price of a gallon of gas in South Carolina dropped about three cents to $1.93 per gallon in the last week, according to a release from GasBuddy.

However, most gas stations in Beaufort County have listed prices around $2.03 -- still much lower than the national average of around $2.33, the release said.

According to GasBuddy's price map Monday morning, only one station in Beaufort County currently offers gas below $2, an Enmark station on Power Alley on Hilton Head Island. The station offers a $1.98 per gallon cash price, according to the price map.

By 4 p.m. Monday afternoon, three other stations had dropped below $2:

• $1.99 at a Circle K on Sea Island Parkway in Lady's Island.
• $1.99 at a BP on S.C. 170 in Port Royal.
• $1.98 at a Shell on U.S. 278.

Overall, gas prices have dropped about $1.18 from the same point last year and nearly 25 cents lower than the average price of gas last month, the release said.

Prices are expected to continue falling as petroleum companies switch over to a cheaper, easier to produce winter fuel in most areas of the U.S., senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said. The Environmental Protection Agency will discontinue its seasonal requirements for fuel on Thursday, allowing for the switch back to the easier-to-produce winter gas, DeHaan said in the release.

To check gas prices in Beaufort County, go to http://www.islandpacket.com/gas-prices/.

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Gas continues to drop in South Carolina, still over $2 in Beaufort County."