With a record number of Americans hitting the roads, rails and skies for the holidays, it’s beginning to look a lot like messy weather could snarl schedules.
Preliminary forecasts call for drenching rain, snow showers and punishing winds in the upper Midwest Tuesday through Wednesday — and storm delays at hubs including Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit could quickly cascade nationwide.
The weather system is expected to soak New York with more than an inch of rain and possible thunderstorms on Tuesday through Christmas Eve, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s going to be a fast-mover, but it’s probably going to rain pretty well in New York City, with everything drying out Christmas Day,” meteorologist Brian Hurley told the Daily News.
More than 98 million Americans are expected to travel for the year-end holidays, according to the American Automobile Association. If those predictions are accurate, it would mark a 4% increase over last year and a record-high volume of holiday travelers.
“That’s nearly a third of the U.S. population on the move. It’s big,” said Robert Sinclair Jr., a spokesman for AAA New York.
With Christmas falling on a Thursday this year, Sinclair said it’s hard to know when traffic will pack the biggest wallop.
“The day before (Christmas) will be busy, but the potential is there for any day to have headaches,” he said. “As people are holding this story in their hands, they should be getting in their cars if they want to be safe.”
Travelers trying to beat the crowds flocked to Penn Station and local airports on Friday.
“I’m not confident with the weather, so I felt the train was safest,” Karen Morris, 64, said as she arrived at Penn Station from Rochester on Friday and caught another train to visit family for a week in New Jersey.
Still, the nation’s roadways are expected to handle the highest percentage of the holiday surge, fueled by lower gas prices, Sinclair said. “New York State has the highest statewide gas prices, but we’re still lower than a year ago, down to about $2.98 a gallon, from $3.67,” he said.
Some complain the lower fuel costs haven’t translated to cheaper flights.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) even called for a federal investigation of sky-high airfares this week.
“You can’t put a price on family,” said Kyle Dietz, 21, a first year student at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy who was flying out of LaGuardia on a $500 ticket to Denver on Friday.
“I booked this ticket months ago. There’s so much that goes into ticket prices, (with) baggage handlers and security and of course fuel costs. You can’t expect an instant change on prices,” he said.
