AAA: News of omicron variant leads to drop in gas prices

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Both the U.S. and New York State average gas prices are down this week. AAA says that crude oil prices "tumbled" due to news of the COVID-19 omicron variant.

"It’s too soon to tell if fears of a global economic slowdown caused by the Omicron variant will push oil prices lower for the long term," AAA says. "But for now, the upward pricing pressure due to tightened supply and high demand seems to have abated as pump prices appear to be stabilizing."

The U.S. average is down three cents, while New York's dropped by two.

• U.S. average: $3.36/gallon ($2.16 in 2020)
• NYS average: $3.54/gallon ($2.25 in 2020)

Here are the averages across upstate New York:

• Albany - $3.50 (down two cents from last week)
• Batavia - $3.46 (up one cent from last week)
• Buffalo - $3.46 (down one cent from last week)
• Ithaca - $3.51 (down one cent from last week)
• Rochester - $3.52 (down one cent from last week)
• Rome - $3.56 (down two cents from last week)
• Syracuse - $3.49 (down one cent from last week)
• Watertown - $3.58 (down two cents from last week)