While Gasoline Prices Could Drop In Coming Months, Diesel Prices Wont

This is the time of year when fuel prices typically head in different directions. Those that use gasoline can expect relief at the pump, as driving demand lessens. Meanwhile for diesel users, prices are likely to stay flat or increase because of the demand of heating fuel. Oil used for diesel is often used for heating fuel, and as cooler weather moves in to the U.S., more of that oil is used for heating purposes, meaning there’s less to covert to fuel.

"Many places still use heating oil as their predominate fuel in the wintertime instead of natural gas, so we likely could see a boost in diesel prices in mainly the months ahead," said Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy.com.

He noted it’s still too early to tell what kind of winter the Northeast will have, and what it could mean for diesel prices.

The national average for a gallon of diesel increase 1 cent over the past week to $3.18, Washington’s rate increased one cent as well to $3.53, while Oregon’s diesel price was unchanged at $3.38.

As far as current prices are concerned, here are some of the lowest rates we could find across the Inland Northwest: