For the first time in nearly 11 months, the average price of a gallon of gas in the L.A. area slipped below the $2 per gallon mark, the Automobile Club of Southern California reported in its Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline was $1.999 a gallon, 3.8 cents lower than last week, 24 cents lower than the comparable period in December, and 35 cents higher than a year ago.

L.A. placed in the middle of the price range for the areas the Automobile Club monitored, which included Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, Riverside, Bakersfield and Las Vegas. Only Santa Barbara, San Diego and Riverside had higher per-gallon prices than L.A.

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Jan. 7.

The news on L.A.-area prices comes on the heels of reports that demand for gasoline is rising faster than U.S. oil refiners can increase production. By July, the average price at gas stations is expected to top an all-time high of $2.06 a gallon set in May, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Department. Consumption this year is forecasted to grow three times as fast as the output from refiners such as Sunoco Inc. and ConocoPhillips.