Gas Prices Dropping Below $3/Gallon Across the Country

Filling up for the daily commute will feel a little less painful this week. Pump prices are falling across the country, and U.S. drivers could be in for a long-term reprieve.

Motorists in Missouri, for example, are now paying an average of just $2.877 a gallon, according to a survey by GasBuddy.com. That's the lowest figure in the country. But the tracking site found that eight other states have dropped below the $3 mark, with some estimates predicting as many as 30 could dip below that figure in the weeks to come.

In Connecticut, some gas stations are selling regular unleaded for $2.99 a gallon, causing long lines of bargain-seekers in a state where the average remains $3.50, according to WVIT. Just how much lower prices could fall remains to be seen.

But Saudi Arabia, long the driving force in the OPEC oil cartel, is reportedly sending signals that it would be willing to tolerate low prices for a year or more, according to a report by the Reuters news service.