As Mainers take to the highways for the Christmas holiday, gas prices are up just a penny per gallon and the weather is expected to be mild for the next few days.
Nationwide, more than 100 million people will be on the roadways for the holidays, taking advantage of mostly stable gas prices, according to AAA.
“AAA forecasts that 104 million Americans will travel by car — the most on record — for a year-end holiday,” said Jeanette Casselano, AAA spokesperson. “The substantial number of motorists has caused some state averages to increase heading into the holiday week, but these jumps aren’t big and won’t last long or linger past the holiday season.”
Average temperatures in Maine are expected in the 20s at night and 30s during the day. No significant precipitation is expected until Sunday, but that could come in the form of freezing rain, according to weather.com.
Gas prices stable
The average price per gallon nationally is $2.54, which is a penny less than last week and a nickel cheaper than last month, AAA said. While the national gas price average continues to slowly edge cheaper, it is noticeably more expensive as compared to last year’s holidays — by nearly 20 cents.
However, that isn’t deterring people from taking their holiday road trips and some states are seeing lower averages than last year.
Motorists across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states are seeing mostly more expensive gas prices at the start of the holiday week, led by North Carolina, which was up 5 cents this week. Maine motorists will pay a penny more a gallon at the pump.