VALDOSTA — While Lowndes County’s post-storm gasoline prices continued to slide in recent days, the pace of the drop slowed from previous weeks, according to statistics.

Sunday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Valdosta was $2.36 per gallon, down only a penny from the previous week, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. In the previous week, the price dropped 13 cents during seven days, AAA said.

The highest price reported in the city Sunday was $2.94 per gallon at a retailer on North Patterson Street, while the lowest price was $2.24 at a store on U.S. 84 west of Interstate 75, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Gasoline prices across the Southeast were dealt a one-two punch by Mother Nature a month ago, first by Hurricane Harvey shutting down much of Texas’ refinery capacity and closing a major pipeline through Georgia, followed by Hurricane Irma sweeping through Florida and Georgia Sept. 10-11.

Millions of Floridians evacuated their homes ahead of Irma, causing a rush on fuel supplies just as the state’s fuel ports had to shut for the storm.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline Sunday was $2.47 per gallon, down from $2.50 seven days earlier, while Georgia’s average of $2.44 was down by eight cents in the same period, the auto club said.

In market action Friday, benchmark U.S. crude oil picked up 85 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $51.45 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 92 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $57.17 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline rose 4 cents to $1.62 a gallon.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.