There's good news if you plan to do any traveling between now and Christmas.

According to experts, barring any major events in the Middle East, gasoline prices are expected to continue to go down through December. In the last 30 days, Georgia has seen a large drop in prices at the pump, going from an average of $3.60 a gallon to the current average of $3.23.

Locally, in Chattooga County gas is ranging from a high of $3.29  to a low of $3.22. In nearby Rome, gas is averaging $3.19 to $3.29 a gallon. In Chattanooga, a gallon of unleaded gasoline is averaging just a few cents over $3 a gallon.

Though gasoline prices will most likely reach somewhere between $3.05 and $3.10 a gallon in Georgia by Christmas. The rate of price decrease is not expected to be as drastic as it has been the past month.

Because Georgia is a beneficiary of Gulf Coast refineries, which have recently been operating at 91 percent capacity, the state has experienced a drop in gas prices and a per gallon price that is lower than the national average.

The national average right now is $3.43 per gallon.