For the first time since late 2016, a gallon of gas is below $2 in our area, provided of course you're still doing essential driving during the coronavirus pandemic.
GasBuddy.com, which has tracked local and regional prices at the pump for more than a decade, showed widespread prices below $2 in Queens, Yonkers and along New Jersey's Route 4 on Monday morning.
According to their data, that's the first time since Fall 2016 that prices broke so low in New Jersey, and the first time since late 2015 in New York City.
And even $2 may seem high in a few days -- there are spots in Central Jersey just pennies from $1.50 a gallon.
According to AAA, the national average gas price is down to $1.81 a gallon -- with the tri-state still at the higher end of pricing nationwide, despite the sharp drop in demand. That's a 17 percent decline in just one month.
The causes are two-fold: A sharp drop in driving due to stay-at-home orders, plus a historic plunge in the price of oil driven by larger geopolitical matters.
