Michiganders could see a dip in gas prices ahead of the fall as oil refineries make the switch to “winter-grade fuel.”

As fall approaches and drivers are spending less time on the road as they did during the summer, demand for gasoline tends to decrease. That along with oil refineries switching over to winter-grade fuel, typically leads to lower gas prices in the fall and winter.

Oil refineries and terminals are required by the Environmental Protection Agency to switch to winter-grade fuel by Sunday. Winter-grade blends contain more butane, a colorless gas, to help cars start in colder months, according to AAA.

“When that switchover occurs, you will see sometimes fluctuating prices,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, of AAA. “You may not immediately see prices go down … as the refineries do switch over and some of them do maintenance.”

As of Friday, the average price for a gallon in Michigan was $3.28, which is 28 cents cheaper than it was a month ago and 36 cents cheaper than it was this time last year, according to AAA. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.23, 61 cents less than last year.

The switch to winter-grade fuel and maintenance takes place over several weeks. Many oil refineries begin the process in early September to meet the deadline. But some of them got a head start this year.

Michigan and other Midwestern states were all granted emergency fuel waivers in early August that allowed oil refineries to switch to a winter-grade blend ahead of the Sept. 15 deadline.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the governors of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin requested the waivers to help stabilize gas prices as they reached record highs due to a supply shortage after an ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Illinois, shut down.

By the end of July, Michigan drivers were paying an average of $3.81 for a gallon for regular gas, a record high for the year.

According to AAA, these are the average prices drivers are paying in various Michigan cities:

Ann Arbor: $3.33

Benton Harbor: $3.17

Flint: $3.25

Grand Rapids/Muskegon/Holland: $3.29

Jackson: $3.34

Lansing/East Lansing: $3.28

Marquette: $3.28

Metro Detroit: $3.28

Saginaw/Bay City/Midland: $3.28

Traverse City: $3.25

This article is being republished through a syndication agreement with Bridge Michigan. Bridge Michigan is Michigan’s largest nonprofit news service and one of the nation’s leading and largest nonprofit civic news providers. Their coverage is nonpartisan, fact-based, and data-driven. Find them online at https://www.bridgemi.com/.