Prices at the pump are starting to dip and it's coming just in time for holiday travel.
It's not uncommon, however, as prices tend to fall this time of year, according to Gas Buddy's Matt McClain.
"Typically speaking, Christmas and the Christmas holiday, that's actually whenever we find the cheapest gas prices of the year," says McClain. "And I always get this question, like, 'how could that possibly be?' But you have to recognize that a lot of holiday travel takes the place of commuting travel for your job."
An extra supply of crude oil has hit the market as well, helping keep prices down.
"The major reason why we're seeing gas prices fall happens to be directly because OPEC+ made the announcement, and they are following through with that in increasing oil production rapidly," McClain explains.
Right now the average price per gallon in the Twin Cities is $2.87 while the cheapest in the state is in Steele County at $2.37 a gallon. Nationally, the price is almost identical at $2.88, according to Gas Buddy. Prices are down about 15 cents a gallon since last year.
McClain says prices could continue to drop into January, but warns U.S. involvement in Venezuela could complicate matters.
"There's one big asterisk here, and that is will anything happen between the United States and Venezuela? Last week, when the tanker was seized, there was some jitteriness in the oil market," McClain explains. "It did temporarily send prices upward for crude oil.
McClain says any geopolitical instability can impact prices.
If you're hitting the road for the holidays, McClain adds that the Gas Buddy App will help guide you to the cheapest gas stations along your route.