“This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019,” according to a news release from AAA. For the first time, the organization’s forecast includes both today, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the Monday after. A breakdown by travel mode predicts 71.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more by car for the holiday, an increase of 1.3 million over last year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The AAA news release includes discussion of fuel prices, best and worst times to travel, and projected peak congestion by metro area.
USA Today offers a holiday period weather forecast by region, noting, among other things, that “messy” weather is predicted for the Great Lakes region and into the Northeast.
Information about holiday traffic in specific states and regions is available from these sources:
- WGAL (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission preparations)
- WVNews (West Virginia Turnpike volume projections)
- Los Angeles Times (California highway travel projections)
- Illinois Tollway Authority (expected volume is 8.9 million vehicles)
- News Service of Florida (via Orlando Weekly) (Orlando, a top holiday destination, expects record traffic)
- WGME (recording-setting travel expected in Maine)