Over the river and through the woods: AccuWeather's Christmas travel forecast
As millions prepare for the Christmas holiday, AccuWeather forecasters have compiled the best and worst times to travel for each sector of the nation.
The weather could be a significant factor for some people traveling ahead of Christmas as AccuWeather forecasters track several storms tracking across the country.
As Santa finishes packing his sleigh and readies his reindeer, many people across the nation are also planning trips for the holiday. In preparation for the journey over the river and through the woods, AccuWeather's expert team of meteorologists has been closely monitoring the weather pattern and any impacts it may have on travel in the days ahead of Christmas.
AAA projects that the 2023 holiday season will be the busiest ever for air travel, with Thursday, Dec. 21, and Friday, Dec. 22, likely the most active days for flight departures. The record number of airline travelers between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1 was set back in 2019 with 7.3 million flyers, according to AAA, and stands a chance of being broken this season.
Southwest and Plains travel troubles late week
For many travelers on Thursday and Friday, conditions will be fairly good due to high pressure promoting tranquil weather across most of the East Coast and interior West. Key travel hubs in the East, such as Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston and Atlanta, may face limited weather-related delays or cancellations.
Meanwhile, a few developing storms can impact portions of California, the Pacific Northwest and the southern Plains later this week, posing a risk for bumpy travel conditions.
"A round of wet weather will cross the southern Plains from Thursday into Friday, bringing the potential for heavy rain to cities such as Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston by the end of the week," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr explained. "After a short break, another round of potentially travel-disrupting rains can move through over the weekend. This rain may linger into Christmas Day in some places."
The wet conditions across California could spell trouble for those traveling through Los Angeles, San Diego and even San Francisco during the second half of the week. Through midweek, forecasters say that damp weather is projected to continue spreading across parts of California.
With that damp weather in the forecast, even those looking to do some last-minute holiday shopping across much of Central and Southern California may need umbrellas and raincoats.
What gifts may the weekend bring?
Travelers taking to the roads and skies on Saturday across parts of the interior West from eastern Washington to the Four Corners could have less than favorable weather conditions.
Two separate storms that will move into the Northwest and Southwest coasts may join up to spread mountain snow and rain showers across a widespread area, resulting in poor travel conditions in parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona.
"Snow will persist over the Intermountain West though as a storm pushes slowly eastward," Zehr said. "The worst conditions on Sunday will stretch from Wyoming into Utah and Colorado, as well as parts of New Mexico and Arizona. The snow should diminish in these areas on Christmas Day."
Zehr added that locations directly along the West Coast will largely dry out on Saturday, aside from a few lingering snow showers in the Cascades. It should also be dry for Sunday and even into Christmas Day, but a new storm will approach the Northwest that could spread rain back into western parts of Washington and Oregon.
Meanwhile, locations across the northern Plains are forecast to have mainly dry weather conditions at the start of the weekend. By Sunday, rain and showers can develop across the center of the country as a storm takes shape exiting the Front Range.
Forecasters caution that this potential storm can become far-reaching by Christmas Eve with areas of rain and even the chance of a wintry mixture or even snow on the rear flank of the storm.
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As this feature pushes eastward and becomes more organized, chances increase for a swath of rain over portions of the lower Great Lakes, Mississippi Valley and part of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. Cooler air across the Upper Midwest and Central Plains could allow for a mixture of rain and snow for some locations on Christmas Day.
AccuWeather meteorologists will continuously monitor for any changing trends as the week progresses. As the holiday nears, continue to check AccuWeather.com for the most up-to-date forecast.
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