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By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. —&nbsp;Prices at the pump have been dropping steadily throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and that trend continues. Kansas average is at $1.48 a gallon as of Thursday morning."AAA is forecasting that the national average will continue to decrease into the next month, possibly dropping another 10 to 12 cents down to $1.65 average," said spokesman Shawn Steward. "We haven't seen those prices at that cheap of a level since January 2009."Kansas is among the 10 least expensive states in the country as of Thursday morning."There's just a huge stockpile right now of gas in the system," Steward said. "With demand remaining low, that just hasn't put any pressure to drive gas prices upward."The Reno County average as of Thursday morning is $1.51 a gallon."Some states could be seeing some minimal fluctuation at the pumps if demand jumps as businesses are given the green light to reopen," Steward said. "I know that here in Kansas, we're looking at a plan from the governor later this week and some people could be heading back to work next week."Even if that's true, it will take several weeks to clear the excess supply and if people can't afford their usual summer vacations, demand could continue to lag for awhile.

Gas prices continue downward, even as state prepares reopening plan