Sacramento gas prices fall again, joining rest of the nation

Sacramento gas prices fell last week for the first time in a month, wiping out more than half the combined price gains amassed from early December through early January.

On Tuesday, the average retail price of gasoline in the area was $2.49 gallon, down 8 cents from last week but up 3 cents from a month ago, according to national gas price tracker GasBuddy.com.

Maintenance issues at state refineries and a corresponding drop in fuel imports drove up at-the-pump costs in California just before Christmas.

Last week, GasBuddy said it expected Golden State prices to quickly recede, thanks to falling crude oil prices and an influx of gasoline shipments from overseas. GasBuddy said the national average Tuesday was $1.87 a gallon, the lowest since early 2009.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Sacramento gas prices fall again, joining rest of the nation."