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GUSTAV MAY END THE LINCOLN GAS PRICE BREAK


By Jon Mayhew
Publisher

LINCOLN COUNTY – A category four hurricane more than 500 miles away may put an end to the 30-plus day drop in gasoline prices in Lincoln and surrounding counties. While The Carolina Scoop gas tracker showed gas prices averaging $3.71 for regular unleaded as of Sunday morning, Tom Crosby with AAA of the Carolinas said the party may be over soon.

In other words, after seeing prices rise to record highs, the break may be over.
“Almost all of the increases we’ll see may be hurricane related,” said Crosby. Many refineries are in the path of Gustav, who is expected to make landfall sometime Monday.


The other part of the equation is the Labor Day travel holiday, which, according to Crosby, is the lightest traveled holiday of the year.
The lowest price for fuel Sunday morning was at the Raceway on East Main Street in Lincolnton at $3.49 per gallon; the highest, Valero, on Reepsville Road at $4.19.

And the storm scare may not end with Gustav. Hanna, still a tropical storm as of Sunday morning, may turn into a hurricane by Monday and make a “b-line” for the Georgia/South Carolina coast.

Crosby said if Gustav doesn’t hit the Gulf of Mexico, prices may come down again.

And for the thousands of motorists traveling through the Charlotte area, the North Carolina Highway Patrol is cracking down on unrestrained, dangerous and intoxicated drivers. There were 19 deaths on North Carolina roads during Labor Day weekend of 2007.

For the latest weather information, click on the Accuweather panel in the center of the Web site.