Average gas prices dip below $2 per gallon in Manatee County

After declining for 39 consecutive days, gas prices leveled off in the Bradenton-Sarasota area and across Florida over the weekend.

On Monday, analysts warned that prices could soon be on the rise, perhaps by as much as a quarter per gallon by the end of the year.

For now, though, motorists in Manatee County can find average prices below $2 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to GasBuddy.com.

The average price in the Bradenton-Sarasota area was $2.03, down from $2.04 a week ago. Manatee County stations were averaging $1.99 per gallon on Monday, while Sarasota County was at $2.08.

A year ago, the average in the Bradenton-Sarasota area was $2.02.

Nearby, the average in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater was $2.00, the same as last week. Statewide, the average was $2.09, a drop from $2.10 a week earlier.

The national average was $2.12, a slight decline from $2.13 last week.

Moving forward, AAA warns that prices likely will start to climb if OPEC comes to an agreement on production cuts this week.

“The outcome of that (Wednesday) meeting could cause swings of $10 in oil and 25 cents in gasoline by the end of the year,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA.

This story was originally published November 28, 2016 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Average gas prices dip below $2 per gallon in Manatee County."