The national average price for diesel fell 9.6 cents for the week ending Nov. 14, edging closer to its pre-Katrina levels, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The national average was $2.602 per gallon for the week, down from $2.698 per gallon the week before. In the week prior to Katrina, the average was $2.59 per gallon.

The lowest prices were found in the Lower Atlantic region, where the average fell 10.8 cents to $2.50 per gallon. The Central Atlantic region posted an average of $2.689 per gallon, while New England came in at $2.699 per gallon. The East Coast as a whole saw an average of $2.565 per gallon.

The biggest drop was in the Rocky Mountain region, which fell 14.1 cents to $2.766 per gallon. That was also the highest reported average in the country.

California, at $2.717 per gallon, wasn’t far behind. The rest of the West Coast came in at $2.738 per gallon.

The Midwest posted an average of $2.575 per gallon, while the Gulf Coast region had an average of $2.585 per gallon.