Last Updated on April 19, 2026 3:44 pm
Gas prices across the High Country fell to $3.79 per gallon this week — down about a dime from last Sunday and the first meaningful relief local drivers have seen since the U.S.-Iran conflict sent prices surging in late February.
Here's where prices stand as of Sunday, April 19, 2026:
- Boone Area (Regular): $3.79/gallon
- Diesel (Local Low): $5.57/gallon (Speedway, Banner Elk)
- Diesel (Most Stations): $5.79/gallon
- North Carolina Average: $3.79/gallon
- National Average: $4.08/gallon
Prices peaked at $3.88 locally last week and had climbed more than $1.10 per gallon since February 26, when the national average stood near $2.98. The surge was driven by the conflict between the United States and Iran, which disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply normally flows.
The easing follows the two-week ceasefire announced by President Trump on April 8. Oil markets responded sharply to the news, and pump prices have begun to follow — though analysts caution that any reversal in the diplomatic situation could send prices climbing again quickly.
“Prices go up like a rocket, and they fall like a feather,” Shon Hiatt, director of the Energy Initiative at USC Marshall School of Business, said in published reports last week. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan had forecast that prices could fall a few cents per day if the ceasefire held.
WataugaOnline publishes a weekly gas prices report. Prices are sourced from GasBuddy and AAA and may vary by location and change after posting.
Sources: GasBuddy, AAA Carolinas
